The Fox and the Pussycat
by TheOtherLachance
Summary: AU. Lykos Danio has always been the weird one in District 4. Despised by his peers, he enters the Hunger Games as a volunteer in a last ditch attempt to win the respect of his District. Joining the Careers, all he expected during the 74th Annual Hunger Games was to spill blood. What he ended up with was a lot more... foxy. M because of gore, language, and sex references.
1. A Vaguely Average Day

**!NOTE FROM LACHANCE!**

**I am writing this alongside my Elder Scrolls story- I can't access any of my home files, until I get home, but I literally just wrote this and uploaded it. I do love me some pay computers:) Enjoy**

I hate water.

Being from District 4, it's a strange thing to hate. Most of the other kids around here love it; they spend all day splashing in the shallows, and catching the tiny fish that swim around there. I watch from the Community Home window, wishing silently I could be out there with them. These rich kids with their still-alive parents, who get to go outside and play with other kids. It's not a house, here, it's a tomb. Behind each door, locked from the outside, lies a child, dying. Sometimes, Matron will go into a room and drag out a dead body. What do they feed us? They feed us off the "community" so that means nothing. Being 15, I have to work, but aside from that…

The only times I get to leave this place is to go down to the harbour and mend fishing nets for pittance, or go to the training centre to work on my skills in tridents and knives and learn to read and write. But I like going down to the harbour more, because I can be near people who don't know me; the men who go out in their boats to fish. I half hate and half want to be them. I want their freedom, I want to be liked as they like each other. But I don't want to go near water. Because water is where my father died, and he could still be down there, watching from the deep. His mouldy fingers reaching out to grab, to snatch, to pull you down. God, I can see why people call me insane. A 15 year old boy, still scared of water… I can swim. A long, long time ago, I loved to swim; splashing around with my older brother and sister in the sea. They hated me even then. My mother died in childbirth, you see, giving birth to me and a twin sister. My twin sister died, too, but the doctors managed to keep me breathing with minor brain damage. Brain damage that makes me crazy, apparently.

Out of the window, I can see a small tanned boy being swirled around, quite far out, by a current. Nobody seems to have noticed, but I watch him intently from my window. He's either laughing or screaming; I can't tell from this far away. I hope he doesn't die, but even if he does, why should it matter to me? His death won't be the first I've seen, and I don't even know this kid. There's no way it'll be as bad as watching my father slipping into the depths, his green eyes going blank and those two bubbles… Two damned bubbles…

It's quite early in the morning, about six, and I'll be going to the training centre in an hour. Because it's the last day before the Reaping, everybody will be running around madly, readying themselves for the Games. We're a Career District so everyone wants to be a tribute; for the glory of District 4 and all that shit. Really, I don't get why everyone wants to win. After being trained to kill your entire life, why would you want to live? What purpose in life, after winning the Games, is there for us?

The boy's gone under, and there's a commotion on the beach. Some strong, heavily muscled man is swimming out to get him; he won't drown. However, I watch with some kind of morbid interest. If he did die, how would everyone react? He hasn't: the strong man is swimming back with him, having hauled him out of the current. I can't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The sound of a lock clicking wakes me out of my stupor, and I look up to see that Matron is unlocking my door. I stand up immediately; having been in the Community Home for seven years, I know protocol. If you don't stand up when Matron, a fat, red-haired and red-faced woman comes into your room, you get thrashed. She's never said a civil word to me, but who cares, honestly? Three years and I'm out of this dump. She pokes her head round the door, and throws a stale slice of bread at me. It's typical District 4 bread; tinged green with seaweed, and it tastes good. Oddly, after all these years, I've actually grown a bit of a taste for it stale. God knows why- I'm probably going even more insane, if that's possible.

Catching it nimbly, I bow my head in thanks and she sniffs, giving me a suspicious look.

"What have you been doing, 616?" she doesn't refer to any of us by our real names. I'm just number 616, and she's just Matron. I don't know, and I don't want to know her real name. None of us Community Home kids call each other by our real names, either; we call each other either by our number, tattooed onto our hands, or by some crude nickname. Usually, I'm called Knife-Boy, because of my talent with knives. Sometimes I'm called Kid, Dumbass, Prick, or Douchebag, or worse. And I'm one of the lucky ones.

"Nothing Matron," I reply coolly, returning to my seat by the window and staring out of it. "Sitting here and watching small children drown, you know the stuff." Looking at her, I watch her flare her nostrils and feel a little amusement. I love making morbid jokes, simply because of people's reactions. I'm a strange person, I've been told that plenty of times, but my dark humour tends to get me into trouble. And today isn't special, because Matron comes and cuffs me around the head, hard. As usual, it hurts a great deal (she's got very meaty fists, let's say), but I'm used to it by now.

"Stop trying to be funny." the woman says harshly, before waddling off to unlock the next room. I sit by the window for a few more seconds, nursing my painful head, before starting to nibble away at the bread. As we don't get lunch, I'll have to make it last until dinner time. So I only eat half, before getting up and getting dressed in my allotted clothing. Ripped canvas trousers and shoes with a black shirt. I've tried to darn up my trousers, but I'm no District 8 kid. They look even worse now than they originally did- whoever I pass them on to, once they get too small, is an unlucky kid.

I've got to report at the training centre for seven, so I get up quickly and walk downstairs. Stopping to tick my name off on the signing out sheet (Matron likes to keep track of where we've gone so she can spy on us, basically), I walk out into the streets and inhale the stench of District 4. Sea salt, fish, and seaweed. It's a strong smell, but I love it; it's the smell of home. The streets are full of early morning fishermen coming back, carrying their wares already, and others only just walking out. Kids my age are also walking out towards the Training Centre, and most avoid me like the plague. Even amongst kids my own age, I'm considered freaky. It doesn't matter to me; they're all meatheaded, unintelligent idiots anyway.

Hands in my pockets, I walk down the street, following the tide of kids from age about 8 to 18 towards the warehouse where we train. It's supposed to be like a school, as well, and it sort of is- we get read literature, and it serves as a school for those of us who can't afford to go to the proper school. In Career districts, they charge money to go to the actual schools, because they're for people who want to grow up and work in offices and stuff. Those of us who know we're either going to compete in the Hunger Games, or become fishermen, we just learn at the training centre. I've got work from four thirty till eight, this evening. My days are busy, but repetitive. Train, learn, work. Train, learn, work. Every single damn day. Then, I get to watch those rich kids who can afford to go to school play in the sea.

Eventually, I make it to the warehouse; I dawdled along the high street, watching the tide go in and out. The tanned kid from earlier was playing with his friends, and I stopped to watch him for a moment. Apparently, he doesn't care that he almost died.

When I open the door, I find that Mr Ancholl, the principal, is sitting at his desk just inside. He gives me a lazy glance, before I walk up to him and sign my name off on the register. The sound of chatting from inside the centre is loud on my ears, and I stand still for a second, examining my nails, before Mr Ancholl prods me with his foot to keep me going, as there is a tide of people behind me giving me evil looks. I look blankly back at them, before walking towards the door into the main centre, where almost everyone is already assembled. We have an assembly before we go into our separate classes, and we are taught by age group- the kids from eight to eleven go together, then from twelve to fourteen, then from fifteen to seventeen, then the big eighteen year olds get a class to themselves. Mostly it's eighteen year olds who get into the games- not this time. I'm volunteering first.

You see, I've been thinking it over; if I die, what have I got to lose? Life, sure, but I don't have much of a life anyway. And I think that maybe, just maybe, if I win… People would like me. Trust me; I'd be the pride of District 4. And I can win: I've been training just as long as all the other Careers, and my skill with knives is unmatchable.

Moving into line with all the other fifteen to seventeen year olds, I sit down in between a tall girl with a rather limp brown ponytail and a smug expression, and a small boy who looks barely fifteen, with a curly crop of red hair and a weak chin. The girl sniffs and moves away from me, not wanting to be seen sitting next to a weirdo, and starts talking to her friends on the other side. The boy looks longingly after her, before giving me dull look. I sort of know this boy, from training together; he's not half bad. As he's just as outcast as I am, we tend to stick together with the other outsiders. His name is Prosec.

"Morning, Lykos." he says to me, and I nod my head. Although we tend to get lumped together, I don't talk to him, or anyone, much. Usually, I avoid speaking so not to offend. Knowing me as he does, he grimaces, then turns to watch the girl on the other side of me with eager, puppy-dog eyes. It's almost pathetic; she's not even pretty.

Just as I'm thinking it, she turns around and glares at me, looking at me with challenging olive eyes. "What you looking at, pussy-cat?" she asks sharply, and I stare at her from under heavy lids, then look away and sit back in my seat. Pussy cat is another one of my nicknames- because of my tawny shoulder length hair and my green "catlike" eyes, I guess, and the pointy ears and the sharp teeth… And the habit of always falling on my feet… alright, I'm the human embodiment of a cat, okay? Honestly, I just wish people would actually call me by my real name- it's Lykos. Lykos Danio, not pussy-cat.

"It's Lykos Danio," I reply quietly. The girl looks me full in the face and laughs sarcastically, before turning back to her friends with a contemptuous sniff.

"Good for you."

I can hear them laughing about me, so I turn around to the front where the eighteen year old's teacher, Mr Candoras (an ex victor from ages ago), starts us of by reading out of the Dark Days book. It basically talks about the rebellion and the Hunger Games, and what they mean to us Districts. It would be quite an interesting talk, except for the fact his face and bored, monotone voice make it dull as hell. When he eventually finishes and wishes us luck for "another day of learning", we split off and go to our classrooms. The others chat but I stay silent at the back, not looking at anybody. As long as I don't look at people, I've learned, they stay away from me. Some are scared of my skills as a knife-thrower. Some are scared of just… me.

Our teacher, a young woman in her mid twenties named Miss Wellwood tells us to sit down on a long bench at the back and we do so. There is no space by the time I've shuffled over to the back, so I lean against the wall, knowing that I am now going to be picked on. Teachers never like me, for my morbid jokes and never turning up to school on time, and Miss Wellwood is no exception. She's tough as nails, and always carries a crop around with her to hit things with. She doesn't even need it, everyone's too afraid of her to step out of line, but she just likes twirling it around for her own amusement. She notices that I'm the only one standing and takes it as an excuse to pick on me.

"Danio, come to the front." everyone grins, knowing something's coming up and I'm going to be ridiculed. We can all see it from the look of sadistic enjoyment on her smooth face; I am going to be teased until she gets bored of playing with me and moves on to somebody else. With a heavy sigh, I get up from the wall and walk to the front of the class, not looking at anyone. I don't care about any of them. I stare straight at Miss Wellwood, who walks around me with a cruel grin on her lips. The class is practically bursting with anticipation. And eventually, after looking me up and down several times, she says very clearly, "Why are you so skinny, Lykos Danio?"

A few of the kids laugh and I ignore them. This little game has nothing to do with them- it's just her and me, and I'm going to win. There's no way that I'm going to let her play me like she's trying to- I won't give her the satisfaction. "I'm allergic to food." I come up with eventually, and mentally slap myself in the face. I'm allergic to food?! What's that supposed to mean?! Oh for Gods sake, why couldn't I just tell her that, because I'm from the Community Home, I don't get any food? Nervously, I look over at the clock. It's eight, and I leave here at four. This is going to be a long day.

The teacher prowls around me, holding her crop tightly. I can see, in those pitiless blue eyes of hers, that she desperately wants to hit me with it. The littlest provocation, and she will. A flash of amusement appears on her face. "You're… allergic to food?" she says, raising her eyebrows sarcastically. Some cruel kids in the class laugh at me, but, unfazed, I know I have to go along with it now. I've said it, and I'll look even weirder if I just deny it. So, standing up straight, I shrug.

"Yeah. Makes me puke if I have some… certain types of food."

Why do I always get myself into these situations? These situations where I have to make up crap so not to appear as a total idiot? But I must look even more stupid than if I'd just admitted that I made the allergy to food up, carrying on my evident lie. What makes it worse is that I have a half eaten crust of bread in my pocket. Oh God.

Miss Wellwood raises her cleanly plucked eyebrows at me, still circling. Then, she sighs and shakes her head at me, a look of pity on her face. "For Gods' sake, Lykos, you must be one of the most stupid and irrational people I have ever had the misfortune to meet. You tell lies to me like that?"

At least I know it's nothing personal; she goes through this whole regime with a different kid everyday. Well not always a different kid; it's been me a few more times than most of the others, but that's just because I'm always in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's either the kid who's not managed to get a place on the bench, or the kid who can't find a partner when she calls for us to pair up: in other words, she picks on the outcasts. Slightly sickening, but that's Miss Wellwood and most of the other teachers in this place. It's not the only training centre in District 4, there are two others, but I can only imagine that the situation is the same in both of them as well. And anyway, complaining to Matron would get me nowhere. She'd either shout at me for complaining, beat me for complaining, or not listen and irritatedly tell me it "builds character" and push me out of her way. It's happened before.

"It's not a lie, Miss. If I have food, I puke all over the place. Seriously, it's a medical condition- I have to be fed through tubes at home." This story is getting more and more complicated, stupid, and full of holes. Any second now I'm going to run out of this classroom screaming. When am I going to have to give it up? She sighs and raises her eyebrows, looking at me with disgust in her eyes. The woman sends me back to where the others are, and I squat this time, trying not to be seen. I'm a fluent (bad, terrible, appalling) liar, and I seem to do it impulsively. My dad used to call it "Telling stories". My older sister Winnow refers to it as "Talking Crap". In most situations, I have to agree with my older sister's version.

We go through the usual stuff that morning: a maths test, a study on the poem The Raven, by Edgar Allen Poe; we move onto more exciting things after that. Miss Wellwood starts a class discussion on the best ways to throw knives, and I even get to demonstrate. She really doesn't have anything personal against ME, she actually smiles at me after I hit each target she throws my way dead-on, but has to ruin it with questioning my intelligence again. By four, I'm tired, hungry and ready to go home; after sitting with the other community home kids and watching everyone else eat lunch while we starve, I'm hungrier than ever. But I can't eat dinner till eight; however, I do have half my bread left in my pocket. After the "I'm allergic to food" incident, I couldn't risk eating at lunchtime, in case Miss Wellwood or anyone from my class saw.

After class I walk to the harbour, where I sit and weave ropes together clumsily. Even after three years of it I'm still no good at my job; I just can't sew. I half wish and half dread that they might someday let me go out in a boat- I want the freedom, but I hate water. Because water swallowed up my father. After three and a half hours of fixing nets, the harbour-master shakes his head wearily at my appalling work, and sends me home with ten coins. I have to give most of it to Matron, for "expenses", but I get to keep two of them. And you know what I spend all my money on? Sweet things.

I've always had a passion for sweets although I can rarely afford them; I've been saving for weeks and I finally have ten coins. Enough for a small bag of lemon sherbets. The sweet shop is very expensive, and just looking in the window makes my mouth water. As there are quite a few rich people in District 4, the shop gets good business; I watch rich brats walking out of there with their hands and pockets full of sweets and chocolate. Truly, I envy them, being able to taste the sweet goodness that costs so much for me. Lemon sherbets are my favourites: they taste delicious, and if you suck the sherbet and let it bubble up in your mouth, you look like you're having a fit. Hilarious.

Walking down the High Street, I dodge out of the way of a group of rich children walking out of the sweet shop, and duck right in. Immediately, the smell of burnt sugar hits my nostrils and I inhale deeply, savouring.

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to buy something? I don't want street kids in my shop." The one drawback of this shop to me- the owner. A raggedy old bitch with a temper; she hates everyone under the age of eighteen, even more so if you don't have much money. For a second I consider walking straight back out, but the lemon sherbets are practically calling to me from their little jar. Walking over to the counter, I put down my hard earned ten coins and she looks at them, a greedy expression on her skinny face. How can she work among all this delicious food and not eat any of it? If I was in her position, I'd be so fat I'd break the scales.

"What'll it be then?" she says, her voice considerably friendlier than before after seeing my money. Stifling a laugh, I point out the sweets I want and she bustles over to the jar and weighs out five of them into a little paper bag. Then, after measuring them out again and again, making sure I don't get my money's worth, she steps back towards me with an evidently fake smile. "Thank you, please come again. I love having children around." she says, scooping the coins into her pockets.

By the time I get back to the community home, it's almost dinner time. I hide the bag of sweets in my pocket, knowing that any of the other kids will literally attack me for them. Signing myself in as 616, I run up the stairs to my room (room… cell…?) and dump my stuff, making sure to hide the sweets in my mattress. Matron won't hesitate to confiscate- and eat- them herself if she catches a whiff of them. I go back downstairs, and the smell of fish hits my nostrils. Being from District 4, we always have fish for dinner; whatever type of fish is available, really. Shellfish, oysters, white fish, flat fish… You get the idea. Turning into the kitchen, I see the thirty or so other community home kids sitting at tables waiting for food. Matron is at the stove with two of the older girls, peeling shellfish. Mmm.

Sitting down by a 13 year old boy numbered 627, I say quietly,

"Excited for the Reaping tomorrow?"

He almost jumps out of his seat at the unexpected voice, and then calms. But then, looking round at my face, I see fear enter his eyes again. I'm famous throughout the home, it appears. I've never talked to this kid before in my life, but he fears me? Funny. "Yeah… rem… yeah, I'm pretty excited… 616…" the kid's voice is laced with fear. What does he think I'm going to do- attack him? Ever since I got in a fight with 605, an eighteen year old boy the size of a shark, everyone thinks that I'm dangerous all of a sudden. Which could or could not be the case.

I leave it at that, because one of the girls is handing out the shellfish; doling out a lump of it onto everyone's plates. When she gets to me, I realise it's my older sister, Winnow. She glares at me, and when she slops the fish onto my plate, she gives me comparatively less than any of the others. I give her a look and she slams the pot down at the head of the table, grudgingly taking a seat next to me and tucking into her own plate of the salty flesh. She's seventeen, eighteen in a few weeks, and can't wait to be out of the home and "away from Lykos". My older brother Derry, who is nineteen, left this place almost two years ago and says it's the best thing that ever happened to him. Derry doesn't like me either, but can admit that it wasn't my fault our mother died. He just dislikes me in person. Winnow? She hates me with every pore of her being: she hates the fact that I "killed" mum, she hates the fact I was with dad when he died, she hates my personality, she hates that I'm considered "attractive"… She full on hates me. Get it?

"Evening, Winnow." I say, and my sister shoots me a look laced with hatred. You'd never guess, looking at us, that we're siblings: same with Derry. Those two are short and stocky with dark hair and eyes, like mum, and I'm 5ft10 and skinny with tawny hair and green eyes, like dad.

"What do you want, 616?" she snarls back. She doesn't refer to me by name, very often; she likes to kid the others here that we aren't related at all. But they all know. I figure I must ruin her perfect little reputation. She's actually given me scars: I've got an ugly scar across my chin from where, when I was seven and she was nine, she slashed me across the face with a fishing hook. Seriously, if I went into the Hunger Games and was decapitated, slowly, she'd cheer on whoever was doing it.

"Oh nothing, big sister," I continue slightly maliciously, taking a forkful of the shellfish on my plate and eating it, promptly forgetting the fact that "I'm allergic to food". I take care to enunciate the words "big sister" particularly loudly, so the whole room can hear me. Winnow scowls. "Just wanted to say hello to my favourite big sister in the world."

She kicks me hard under the table in the shin, and I wince in pain. She really does have issues, my older sister; I don't think I'm the only one who came out of mum crazy. She's given me too many injuries to count: the scar on my chin, another going across my stomach from where she pushed me onto a barbed wire fence, the time she broke my nose smashing my head into a wall, the time she broke my arm pushing me off the side of a building… You see any family love here? Because I sure don't. She's even given Derry scars, and I think she quite likes him.

We eat mostly in silence, with Matron watching us over stonily, a ladle held in her hand like a sword. Somewhere in her mind, she is considering using it to hit someone over the head, I can see in her eyes. Those piggy, crazy little eyes… In fact, it would be a good idea not to look at her; it's my strategy not to look at people so they don't think I'm trying to communicate anything to them. If you don't look people in the eyes, or at them at all, they'll think you don't give a crap about them. Which is what I'm trying to get across to basically everyone in this room.

After finishing the shellfish, we all go upstairs to our rooms and get straight into bed. I get my own room, since everybody refuses to share one with me, which I like; although mine was originally a store-cupboard that Matron hollowed out just enough to fit a window on ground level, a mattress on the floor, and a small cupboard with all my possessions in. As I lie back in bed, I hear the click that means she's locked the door to my room. No getting out now. Although it's dark outside, I can just make out the fishing boats still coming in from outside the window.

It's with that, slightly soothing thought that I fall asleep. Tomorrow is the Reaping, and I will become the tribute for District 4. I am absolutely sure of it. I'll be able to prove myself to my whole District, to Matron, to Winnow, to Derry to… to everyone. I can win; even Miss Wellwood, the nastiest teacher in the Training Centre, smiled after watching me throw knives this morning. There is a reason they call me Knife-Boy, I promise you. And hopefully, the nickname Pussy-Cat will put in something useful too. They say cats have nine lives, and if I'm going into the Hunger Games, those nine lives will definitely be needed.

XXX

**Next chapter, the Reaping, the train ride, and Lykos arriving in the Capitol. **

**Thank you for reading, and the next chapter will be out soon! **

**Please review if you have the time. **

**Astrid :)**


	2. The Reaping

**The chapter's will be getting shorter :) I've just been packing a lot of information into these first few. Enjoy, and review please!**

I wake with a start. Clenching my fists as I suffer the momentary aftershock from a dream, I yawn and spread my arms backwards on the mattress. From the light coming from my window, it must be about eight or nine in the morning: it doesn't matter that I've slept in. On Reaping Day, everybody sleeps in, even the kids who're supposed to be in training. And since I'm going to volunteer as tribute this year, there is no need for me to go to training even if we were supposed to. So screw them.

The Reaping isn't till eleven, so I've got plenty of time to rest-up. Looking sleepily at the latch on my door, I notice that Matron hasn't even come to unlock the doors yet; she must be having a lie in herself. So that's another good excuse for a snooze. With another loud yawn, I slip onto my side and stare out of the window, body completely relaxed. Nobody is on the beach today; that's strange, because mostly, even on Reaping Day, the place is full. Glancing at the clock on the wall I notice the time- it's half eight. I guess everyone must be lying in… either that or some psychopath has had a bloody massacre of all the rich children, strangling them to death and ignoring their pitiful screams… Could be either. Who knows?

For a few minutes I just lie there, dozing peacefully and watching the tide coming in and lapping at the shore. Then, I leap into action. Rifling through my drawers, I find my Reaping clothes, passed on to me from my brother Derry who used to wear them when he was seventeen. He really is very short compared to me. Pulling them on, for once, I actually feel smart. No hastily darned rips in the knees, no too large shirt. The clothes, soft tawny trousers, canvas shoes, and a slightly puffy white shirt, fit me perfectly. It's nice to feel smart for once, although I'm sure Winnow and her stupid friends will pick apart my outfit on sight.

I'm almost impatient, for once, for Matron to unlock the door and let me out; before the Reaping, I want to walk down to the sea. I mean, I'm going to win and all, I've been training all my life for this, but just in case I don't… I want to say goodbye to my father. And promise him that I will make him proud, I will make the whole of District 4 proud. How could I not? Even Miss Wellwood, the most demanding teacher in the whole of the training academy smiled at my knife skills… even if she did insult my intelligence several times. Ah well. I'm more intelligent than she thinks, I'm just a little bit… unique?

The latch clicks open, and I immediately hustle to the door, almost bowling over Matron as she comes and pulls the door open, to "awaken" me. Hah, I'm already awake: have been for ages. She looks tired, in a ginormous pink dressing gown, and as I sprint down the stairs, she yells, "Watch where you're going, 616!" after me. Signing my name quickly off on the register, I'm through the door, and running down onto the beach. It's completely deserted still, same as earlier, and there's an air of peace about the place… No blood. So there can't have been a massacre. Pity. I kick up some sand into the air, and the breeze of the morning immediately whirls it away, down towards the sea. The sound of a seagull cawing hits my ears and, looking up, I see several of them have landed overhead. Running my fingers through my hair, I sigh. I need to get clean before the Reaping actually starts, as I'm covered in a thin layer of grime and sweat, and the only way to do that is in the sea…

Glancing mistrustfully at the huge expanse of water, I walk down to it and, kicking a shoe off, dip my toe in. It's warm as blood and it doesn't feel too bad, in the shallows, and I strip off into just my underpants and submerge myself. We have a communal bath, at the home, once every three days, but the last one was a full three days ago. Matron doesn't care about us looking smart at the Reaping; she's glad if one of us gets taken off her hands. Dunking my head under the surface, I run my hands through my hair and the salt washes the grease away. Cleaning myself fully, I step out of the sea gasping and wet. It's not too bad as long as I can see the bottom, and see that my father isn't there, waiting to pull me to the depths… Even so, the feeling of having my head under the water felt strange. Almost like I was drowning, even though I was only under there for a split second.

Wading back onto the sand, I lie on a rock and let myself dry naturally, basking in the sun. I was blessed, by some kind God, with olive skin, so I tan well. That's one of the many joys of being from District 4; almost all of us have bronze skin. It's some kind of gene passed on through the district, or something, because we all tan beautifully. It's great.

Pulling my clothes back on, I notice that there is now a steady stream of people emerging from their houses, all done up in their Reaping clothes, and ready for the ceremony. They might as well go naked- it's not like any of them are going to be picked. Barely anyone ever gets just Reaped from a Career district. There's always a multitude of volunteers, and I will be the first. Although I certainly couldn't beat some of the eighteen year olds with muscles like ox's, I can easily take out anyone in my class, and a few in the class above, too.

I run my fingers through my hair to neaten it up, and check my reflection out in a mirror. My hair is neat, for once, and I actually look respectable. Almost unrecognisable, compared to the scruffy, grimy urchin who throws knives in the training centre. As I walk up to the Justice Building alone, in the town square, I even get a few flirtatious looks from the girls nearby. Most of them still ignore me, as usual, but the looks are there.

"Hey, Lykos!" turning around, I see Prosec is standing with a nervous smile on his face. Although I'd rather go to the Reaping alone, I end up going in with the group of outcasts I am usually lumped in with. I don't like having company, letalone company that doesn't stop talking. Isn't it better to be silent, and to absorb the sounds around you, then to make them yourself?

Oddly, I don't feel at all nervous. Maybe it's the fact that I value my life very little, or maybe it's just that I'm actually quite looking forwards to going into the Games… The thrill, you know? And the fact I'll actually get to spill real blood… I wonder if it feels any different from stabbing dummies. Probably does, since it's real, human flesh you're stabbing rather than some cheap replica… What I am worried about, is that someone will volunteer ahead of me. I am absolutely certain that will not happen, because volunteering… If you haven't sorted it out in your head before it happens, it's difficult to just do it on the spot. So only someone either as miserable and crazy as me, or as brave as a lion, will volunteer straight off the mark. Honestly, the kid who is actually reaped has nothing to fear. He'll get plenty of volunteers to choose from. And he will choose me.

I get in line to be registered, just behind Prosec and his little gang. There's a long queue, as the Capitol person doing it doesn't seem in a particular hurry to do anything, and we step forwards at a leisurely pace. It's starting to get annoying, and I'm beginning to wonder whether I'll actually get to the front before the Reaping itself starts, when I find myself standing in front of the desk. The man there is wearing some sort of gas-mask, covering his face; in fact I can only tell it's a man by the low voice that emerges from deep within the mask.

"Hand, please."

Well familiar with the routine, I flinch slightly as the needle pricks into my finger, and the blood is blotted onto a piece of paper. Immediately, the screen comes up with my name and age, and the Capitol man looks at me wearily. He sure can't be having a fun day. "Lykos Danio, 15 years old?" he says in a bored, unexpressive voice. I nod, once, and he gestures to his left where the boys are standing at one side of the Justice Building courtyard. Pushing my way towards the fifteen year old's section, I stop for a second to look at the stage.

A stage, draped in Capitol flags; four seats at the back, next to a gigantic screen taking up almost the whole space. It's a familiar layout- the screen is for the propaganda video they always show us of the Dark Days. I can practically recite it word for word, by now, and although the first few times watching it was vaguely interesting, it's just boring now. You would've thought after all this time they would've changed the video at all, but oh no. But I can stand through it- it's the buildup to volunteering. And boy am I excited. A dreamy vision of a huge plateful of Capitol food goes through my mind, and I barely stop myself from salivating. A tall, well-fed boy next to me gives me a strange look, and shifts away slightly.

"You nervous?" he asks quietly, putting my expression down to nerves. For a second I'm confused, then I laugh cheerily.

"Oh no. I was just thinking about all that Capitol food… I wonder if they have oysters in the Capitol."

He gives me another strange look, before pushing his way through the crowd to get as far away from me as possible. Weird kid.

There is a vague round of applause as Finnick Odair and a young woman I recognise to be called Annie walk onstage. They'll be the mentors for the tributes this year… me, and whichever girl comes with me. Everybody stops applauding abruptly as the mayor walks on, and there are several boos. Nobody likes him; he's dished out far too many lashings and hangings to be popular with us. A wiry, grey-bearded man with a nose so sharp it looks like it could cut you, he ignores the crowds disapproval as he goes to take a seat next to Finnick.

Suddenly, our District's escort walks on, and there is another fresh round of boos. Domitia Saffrone, with a different colour hair for every Games. Universally hated by every single person in District 4. She smiles brightly and waves at us, clearly either not registering the boos, or choosing to ignore them. She's really outdone herself this year- her hair is bright red in a cone on top of her head, with white streaks going up it at intervals. Honestly, Domitia looks like she has electrocuted herself. Somebody shouts this out, loudly- clearly we're all thinking the same thing here- and there is a sound of a scream as the person is dragged off by Peacekeepers. Justice! Not.

"Hello, hello Disrict 4!" she calls to the crowd. Nobody replies, and we all stare at her mutinously. Stupid bitch. She used to work as the escort for District 8, so she probably feels pretty relaxed here. Over in 8 it's a hotbed of fighting, gang warfare, and outright rebellion. I'd love to live there. "Are we all ready to be Reaped? Yes we are!" Domitia trills, practically skipping around stage. We watch her with unamused eyes. She blushes a little, then continues in a forcedly bright voice, "I can see how excited we all are to be Reaped, but first of all, we have a video… straight from the Capitol!"

She jumps up and down clapping her hands. A couple of people clap slowly and sarcastically with her.

The stupid woman stops, eventually, and clicks a button, as the video comes on. It's tedious, as usual, and I stare up into the skies for most of it. In fact, I find a very interesting cloud in the shape of a shrimp. It's got all the little markings on, and everything, and frills but it's a cloud… It's an interesting cloud. As it floats through the blue sky, it almost seems like this massive shrimp is swimming through the sea. It's beautiful.

"Now, let's start with the girls…"

I'm forced to pay attention again as she announces this. Bidding the cloud/shrimp goodbye, I watch the district escort with vague interest as she dips her taloned fingers into the girls Reaping ball and sifts around for a while. Although I'm not worried, from the looks of some of the girl's faces, on the other side of the courtyard, they sure are. But they needn't worry; being a Career district, they'll get loads of volunteers. Several of the bigger girls are readying themselves to shout out the line, as Domitia picks out a name from the ball and begins to read it.

"Andronica S-"

"I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!" the girl's shout is so loud that Domitia's eyes open wide in astonishment, and she's practically blown backwards. She hadn't even announced who the female tribute was going to BE before a volunteer came. As the crowd parts to let the girl through, I crane my head to see who it is… and put my head in my hands in irritation. It's Winnow. She walks smugly up to the stage, giving some of the fellow girls planning to volunteer boastful smiles, before settling herself onstage. Oh God. Wait a year? Anything so I don't have to go into the Hunger Games with my stupid sister… Why'd she have to volunteer, anyway? She can't do anything, for God's sake! Alright, maybe she is… okay… with a sword, but why does that matter? Shouldn't she have consulted ME first before making such a- alright that was never going to happen. But I can't help groaning internally, knowing that I'm going to have to face her bitching, even in the Games…

"Winnow Danio." my sister says with a cheerful look on her face. Domitia, looking slightly put out at Winnow's confident tactic, says in a forced bright tone into the microphone,

"Well isn't that fantastic. Now for the boys," she goes through the same things as she did with the girls, putting her hand in the glass ball, fishing around… my heart is beating faster and faster. I have to be the fastest, I have to be the fastest… She opens her mouth to speak slowly, clearly sensing that we're all ready to volunteer and will do so the second a name leaves her lips.

"Pero-"

"I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!" Yes! Did it, the fastest one! I did it, I'm into the Hunger Games! I am a tribute in the Hunger Games! All thoughts of my dumbass sister leave my head, as I let out a loud whoop and make my way up to the stage, grinning widely. I'm actually a tribute! This is actually happening! There is a look of utmost fury on Winnow's face as my heart stops beating so quickly and I descend to absolute bliss. Finally I have a chance- a chance to show Panem what I'm made of, and that I'm not just some pathetic little weirdo with no parents. And if I don't win? I die. And who cares about that- I don't have a great life anyway!

"My name is Lykos Danio." I say almost breathlessly into the microphone, and Domitia lets out a delighted gasp, clapping her hands together. She doesn't seem to mind me as much as she minded Winnow taking the microphone- I guess it's a girl thing. Don't know.

"A brother and sister duo!" she gushes, not seeing me and Winnow giving each other evil looks behind her. "I'm sure you guys are going to take the best care of each other in the Games, aren't you? Got to support each other, don't you?"

For a second, I open my mouth to mention how much I hate my older sister and show the crowd the amount of scars she's given me, but I feel a push in the stomach. Winnow has stepped forwards to the microphone and is saying, in a slightly teary voice, "Well, I didn't know my little brother was going to volunteer to protect me…" what in the name of…? She knows I don't want to protect her! She knows that I hate her with every fibre of my being- why is she pretending that we actually like each other? What in the name of God is going on?! "But now that he has, I… I…" she turns around and hugs me. And it's only then that I see what she's doing. She's trying to make the Capitol like us… well her, at least. I must look pretty dumb standing there, slightly open mouthed. "I'll protect him with all that I've got." Winnow finishes, and Domitia gives us both a proud smile and asks the audience for applause, before ushering us into the justice building… through separate doors. Darn, I'd been wanting to ask Winnow when exactly she started caring about me. Because I know that the answer would be: never. Stupid cow- using me to get the audience to like her.

A little anger pipes up in me. Why does she get to come into the Games? It's partly her fault I decided to, for God's sake- she's the one who has made fun of me all my life. It's not just proving to myself that I'm not worthless, I want to prove it to her, too. And now, she'll have to die for me to win, and how am I going to prove to her that I'm not worthless if she's dead?! Why couldn't she have thought this through?!

Alright, maybe it isn't entirely her fault- after all, she didn't know that I was going to volunteer.

Two Peacekeepers walk on either side of me, along the long hallway through the Justice Building, and they're carrying guns. What do they think I'm going to do- run away? There's no way that's happening. Honestly, I wish they'd walk faster; I just want to get on with it. Usually, about this time, the friends and family of the tribute comes in to wish them farewell. What family, apart from Winnow and Derry, do I have? None, that's your answer. And friends? I splutter with laughter, and both of the Peacekeepers give me strange looks and start walking a little faster.

I even scare trained men. Who would've guessed it?

"I just had this hilarious thought…" I say apologetically, smiling at them and showing my teeth. They shift a little further away still, slightly disturbed looks on their faces. I guess I'm not the classic Career- most Careers would be walking along in smug silence. But I just can't do that, can I? Spouting another burst of laughter, I continue, "Well, since my parents are both dead… You know what happened to my father? He drowned. Fell into the sea and drowned, just like that. It was funny actually- not funny as in hilarious- but funny as in… almost unbelievable. He was just leaning over the side, when we were out at sea, and he just falls over-"

"We don't need to hear this."

One of the Peacekeepers cuts me off in a sharp, irritated voice. I fall silent, intimidated, and we keep walking. My voice has never been called expressive- I don't talk quickly, or anything, no matter how quick and high you imagined my voice as I said that last sentence. My voice is quite low and unexpressive, and people say I sound permanently bored. I'm a chipmunk in the body of a grumpy 15 year old boy.

The Justice Building is beautiful- there are deep blue carpets and carvings of sea creatures everywhere. It's a real step up from the musty, damp shanty-like Community Home, and I almost want to stop and enjoy it. It smells of lavender, and there are doors going here there and everywhere off the walls. A huge twisting staircase dominates the room, and there are portraits of the old Mayors plastering the walls. There's a particularly intricate bust, at one end of the corridor, of some sort of fish. It's some sort of white stone, although I'm not sure what, and it's been polished so much it reflects the light. I feel almost unworthy amongst all this splendour.

Looking at some of the doors, as I walk along, I notice some of them are labelled with letters. Most kids get their tesserae from here; we community home kids don't collect it ourselves, it's delivered in a big bundle to Matron who splits it. Well, she claims to split it equally, but I've noticed the kids she likes more tend to get fed better, and she's very fat herself. Hmmm… As I pass the letter D, I realise that it must be from where my tesserae would be collected from. D for Danio; I was never old enough to collect tesserae before my father died, but Derry would've. He was twelve when it happened.

We climb the staircase, onto a new level that looks almost exactly the same, aside from that most of the portraits are of different people here. And the doors here do not have letters on, they have numbers. For a second we walk down the hallway, before I am shoved into a room with the number 18 on it. Why is it that my life is lived by numbers? 616, number 18… Maybe I should become a mathematician. Which is unlikely ever to happen, because I failed the maths test yesterday. A boy can dream.

It's a small room, with the same blue carpet and walls as the Justice Building. A huge window is by one end of the room, with a view of the beach. A couple of adult men are on the beach already, splashing out into the sea and laughing. I wonder what it'd feel like to be them, and imagine the cool, salty water swirling around my knees… Quickly, I bring myself back to my own body with a shudder. There's no way that I want to be out in sea- not now. There's a small loveseat at one end of the room, and I walk over to it and sit down instinctively. I'm a little unsure of what to do- nobody will come and visit me, of that I'm practically certain. So am I just going to sit here for an hour? It won't be fun, not at all. But at least I've got a nice view.

After a few minutes of sitting in silence, staring out at the azure sea, the door opens and Derry walks in. I'm surprised, for a second; he's never liked me, so why would he be here? Giving me a grimace, he shuts the door behind him, pulling a nasty face at the Peacekeepers outside… he steps forwards a little uncertainly, watching me with wary eyes. He treats me like an unexploded bomb most of the time; doesn't like to be around me for too long.

"So you volunteered," he begins cautiously, leaning against the wall. His dark hair is cropped short; you wouldn't be able to tell he's my brother. "Going off to the Hunger Games to be a Career and probably die." Derry laughs, tilting his head back slightly to watch me with amused eyes.

He's similar to I am, in the morbid jokes way, but people tend to actually find his funny. I guess his facial expressions are warmer and less frightening than mine.

"I might not die." I say simply, leaning backwards and resting my head against the head of the loveseat. "And anyway, even if I did, what would I have to lose? Winnow?" I laugh hoarsely, and I watch him stiffen, irritated. He actually cares about Winnow: it's always been them verses me. He always comes to visit her at the Community Home, and even has a bed waiting for her in his house for when she leaves the home. There's no bed in his house for me. They genuinely care about each other… but she'll never be using that bed. Because it's going to be me who wins, not her. Not my older sister; she's going to die like the rest of them. And if it's me who has to do it… so be it, I suppose.

"You most probably will," Derry says dismissively, walking over to the window and pressing a hand against it. For a second, he looks out down at the beach, and smiles and waves at a friend who waves back at him with a cheery laugh. All these people are so light-hearted- I love how my brother can talk so casually about me dying and not even being fussed about it. Goes to show how valued in this community I am. "It's usually the District 1 or 2 kids who win, not District 4."

He eventually turns back to look at me, and I suppose there must be an accusatory look in my eyes because he frowns.

"Don't look at me like that," my brother says irritatedly, glaring down at me. "It wasn't me who told you to volunteer. Why didn't you just wait until you turned 18, and could actually stand a chance?" he sneers down at me. "Look at you. Skinniest 15 year old boy I've ever seen in my life."

I settle back and look away from him, seething. Derry just has to come and give me my weekly dose of insults for me to rememeber that I hate him almost as much as I hate Winnow; he's just so petty. Going on about how small and skinny I am: my knife arm is so strong that if I simply TOUCHED him he'd fall backwards and die. It's not my fault he was never brave enough to go into the Games. I'm just trying to make our father proud, and get the district to actually see me as a credit. Because currently, I'm like an unwanted rash that just won't go away. A plague on my beloved district… hah.

We stay in silence for the remaining few minutes before a Peacekeeper makes him leave. It's only then that I remember I didn't even have any of my lemon sherberts, and I scowl after him. The next kid who gets my room will get to eat my hard-earned sweets… I hope they choke on them. Nobody else comes to bid me farewell, so I just sit in my room for the last half hour twiddling my thumbs. Then, a Peacekeeper with chocolate brown hair in a messy ponytail pulls me up, and escorts me outside where a car is waiting. I can see my sister already in the back, and it's with great reluctance that I move in to sit next to her, scowling at her nastily. I've never been in a car before, aside from the hearse at my father's funeral, but I do not enjoy the quick car ride to the train station. Most of it is spent giving Winnow horrible looks and hoping she'll fall out the window and die. Die. Die.

When we get to the train station, where Domitia grabs us both by the shoulders, and pulls us through the mass of paparazzi. Winnow plays up to the cameras immediately, smiling and waving, and clinging on to me like she really does care about me. I find it sickening, but what can you do- so I go along with her little act, silently hating her. The cameras are practically gobbling us up, and Domitia actually has to push them away from the closing train doors as they clamour for more. The train starts moving the minute we get on, and I almost fall over as it starts with a jolt. Grabbing onto a pole, next to the door, I cling on for dear life as Winnow lets out a cruel laugh.

"Dear, dear," she mocks, crossing her arms and laughing at me. "My poor little baby brother can't even stay on his feet, and we're not even in the Games yet. You're such a pathetic disgrace, Lykos."

Tossing her hair, she turns around imperiously to Domitia, who looks startled by the turn of events. She clearly can't get this together in her foolish Capitol mind: one moment I'm her adorable brother who she loves deeply, and the next I'm some pathetic disgrace? I let out a laugh at the look on the district escort's face and she frowns at me. It's very strange when somebody frowns when they don't have any eyebrows.

But she shrugs it off quickly, and says in a happy tone, "Well, hasn't this been an exciting afternoon! I'd suggest you go to your rooms and get showered and dressed and ready for dinner… you'll be meeting with your mentors then." Domitia directs us to two seperate rooms, in different carts (praise the Lord!), and leaves us to it, telling us she will come and collect us for dinner. Dinner! Maybe they'll have sweet stuff with that!

My room here is amazing. It's not just a room; it's an apartment of three rooms, each triple the size of my room back at the Community Home. And it's beautiful here, too: in the first room, a living room, there is a soft, baby blue couch with a low coffee table and a screen in the wall. With further inspections of my "room", I find a sizeable bedroom with a low bed and a large wardrobe, and also a bathroom with a large shower, a toilet, and a pearly sink. I take a long, hot shower and wash my hair with a mysterious shampoo that claims to smell of "avocado and jasmine". What are these things? Although I'm highly suspicious as to what avocado and jasmine is, it smells good, so I wash my hair with it anyway.

Then, stark naked, I walk out into my bedroom and dress in blue jeans and a green t-shirt for dinner. I like to go bare foot places; the carpet is so soft here, that how couldn't I? It's so nice! Sitting on my bed for a few minutes, I contemplate the Games. Alright, I've decided that I will win, and I will throw knives until everybody is dead but… How exactly am I going to accomplish the winning thing? There are five other Careers, and if I team up with them that'll mean I have to be with Winnow… Ah well. I'm not going into this alliance to make friends, I'm going into it because I need to. They can bitch about me all they want, it's nothing I'm not used to.

"Lykos, dear, dinner is ready!" Domitia trills in her high voice, poking her head around the door. I nod slowly, and get up, padding my way across my room to where she is standing with a wide grin on her flat face, and follow her into the corridor. Winnow is already with her, dressed similarly to me, and shoots me a glare before flouncing off after the District escort. Smiling pleasantly at her retreating behind, I follow at a safe distance, and the door is almost slammed in my face as we enter the dining cart.

Sidestepping it (my dear sister chose to slam it after her, knowing I was behind), I walk into the room, where a table is set in the centre, full of food. There is also a long, wide couch in the corner, with a large TV in front of it, and two people sitting around the table already. The mentors- Annie Cresta and Finnick Odair. Seeing Finnick, Winnow smiles in a way I'm sure she presumes is sexy (she looks like a toad, let's put it that way), and plonks herself right opposite him. Awkwardly, I sit across from Annie, who gives me a shy smile, and extends her hand across the table to shake. I do so, before looking firmly at my plate. Domitia has taken her place at head of the table, and is seemingly waiting for something. I look up, confused, to find she is staring at me and Winnow.

"Eat up then!" the Capitol woman says cheerily, and with a start, I remember that there's food on the table. Uncertain whether I should serve myself, I wait for Winnow to grab a plateful of chicken stew on some sort of rice-style grain, before helping myself to a slightly more meagre portion that she has. I've never been a big eater, apart from sweet things which I gorge myself on. Taking a mouthful, I savour the great taste of the chicken in my mouth, and eat the rest greedily, sitting back, completely stuffed by the end of it. Then, a look of pure excitement comes onto my face and my eyes open wide. At the centre of the table, on a large plate, is a chocolate cake. I can smell the rich chocolate scent coming off it and I feel my mouth gape as I look at it in all it's glory. It's… it's… it's…

"You want some cake?" I hear Finnick's voice above my brain's. With a look of awe, I nod slowly and he laughs, cutting a generous slice for me and handing it across the table. Taking a fork in one hand I look down at the cake; I can scarcely believe it's on my plate. It's… it's insane! I'm actually going to eat this entire thing!

And I do eat the entire slice. I eat several slices; three, and everyone (aside from Winnow who is scowling, bright red with embarassment) is laughing at me. Finally contented, I sit back with the taste still fresh in my mouth, and smile. That… that was absolute heaven.

"So you like cake," turning around, I see Finnick Odair is still watching me, a look of amusement in those legendary eyes. Sea-green, a similar shade to my own. Although his are "dreamy" apparently. Nodding slowly, I look him up and down. He is a good looking guy but… not my type. Maybe if I was gay he would be my type, but I'm not. I'm not sure if I like the idea of having an intimate relationship with anyone. I'd rather die alone, to be honest. Or maybe I just haven't met the right girl.

"Cake is heaven." I reply, and mentally slap myself in the face. Why do I always have to say such weird, stupid things? Domitia laughs, nervously, but Finnick gives me the strange look that, by now, I'm so familiar with. Winnow looks like she's about to smash my face in, and for once, I can't blame her. Couldn't I just be normal, for once? "I mean… sorry… erm…" I stutter awkwardly for a second, before shaking my head with a resigned look on my face. The mentors both laugh, albeit a little strangely, and then suggest, as if to lighten the tension, that we watch all of the other Reapings.

I'm tired, so I pay little attention, but watch sleepily as they go on. Two classically beautiful tributes from District 1, two evil looking ones from District 2 and so on. Me and Winnow look pretty monstrous too, with our immediate "I VOLUNTEER"'s. and the look on my face as Winnow acts up the brother-sister things looked very embarrassed. Eventually I end up looking a lot more comfortable and as if I know what's going on, but there is some snide commentary before that happens.

The next Reaping, of District 5, is an unmemorable boy, and a foxfaced girl with sleek red hair and amber eyes. She's… she's pretty. Very pretty- if I had a type, she would be it. But I'll probably end up killing her, so there's no use making bonds about appearances. And anyway, she's from District 5, so she doesn't matter to me. I'm a Career, not some outer district wimp who needs all the help they can get. Things are all pretty dull until District 12, where a girl volunteers for her younger sister, and there's a massive fuss made, but that's about it. I say goodnight to all the others and head to bed, shattered.

Ready for the day ahead.


	3. Meeting the Careers

**Next chapter up will be all the training sessions, and the interview. Then, we go into the Games :)**

I don't sleep very well that night. In no way is it from fear, I promise you I'm not scared in anyway at all. Anyway at all… it's just nerves, isn't it? Everyone would be nervous, even if they are going to win. But they aren't going to win, whoever they are… Okay, I've lost my train of thought. So bite me.

Getting up, I shower and pull on a replica of my clothes from last night, before walking down the train to the Dining Cart. Although Domitia hasn't come to rouse me, that doesn't matter. After all, I can see light pouring through the huge windows into the corridor. Don't know what time it is, but it's certainly not night. As I walk through the door into the cart, I smash headlong into my District escort who falls backwards with a squeak. Grabbing her swiftly, I pull her upwards, give her an apologetic smile, and walk forwards into the cart before she can say anything. Honestly, she's not bad- an airheaded idiot, sure, but she's a friendly person on the whole from what I've seen. She's at least trying to be welcoming.

Finnick, Annie, and Winnow are already sitting at the table, serving themselves with a ginormous buffet. For a second I linger by the door, in awe of the spread in front of me, before Finnick waves me over. I sit next to him slightly awkwardly, making sure not to make eye-contact with Winnow. Immediately, Finnick begins piling my plate with food, and watches me carefully as I eat it. What does he want? This food is far too stodgy; I guess I must be the only tribute in the history of Panem ever not to enjoy Capitol food. I prefer the fresh, salty taste of seafood, straight off the harbour. Not these thick concontions of God knows what; the chocolate cake last night was an exception. It was good. When I eventually eat enough to satisfy my mentor, and my stomach feels so full I want to be sick. I realise that Winnow is talking to Annie, and they are discussing tactics. Finnick is talking to me, too, and turning my head around, I vaguely listen to him.

"So tactics for the arena… You're quite goodlooking. Not bad, anyway," grabbing my chin, he twists my face around, scanning it. Batting him off I sit back with a look of slight disgust on his face. Although my sister and about every other woman in District 4 might fall for him, I'm personally a straight guy who is starting to get rather irritated. What is he doing, pulling my face around? "You're going with the Careers, I'm guessing?"

The question pulls me out of my daze, and I look at him blankly for a second, not registering. Then, with a grin, I nod slowly. "Yes." I reply, and a smile comes onto my mentor's face. He sits back and examines me some more, as if he's analysing me. I feel like a bit like a wild animal, being watched by one of those farmers from District 10. It's not a nice feeling.

"Good. You're way too skinny, but there's wire under than skin…" he says, prodding one of my arms. I stay stock still, not sure what to say. Finally, after years and years, I've met someone even more irritating than myself. A growl of dislike for this famous man runs through me. Who does he think he is, calling me skinny just because everyone thinks he's some sort of Adonis? "You look like you'd be good with knives, or a bow and arrow. Not enough thick muscle for a swordsman."

Feeling rather self-concious of my lack of muscles, I shrug duly, and picking up a knife, begin to play with it between my fingers. If he thinks I'm only "good" with knives, he's kidding himself. Bows and arrows, I cannot do; but throwing knives and slashing with them? I could take this pretty-boy down in seconds. Although I don't look it, I'm stronger than I look. Then, suddenly, to answer his question, I throw my knife across the room towards a portrait some fool has put up on the other side with careful nimbleness, not taking my eyes of Finnick for a second. I hear the dull thunk as the knife sinks into the paper, and flicking my eyes across, I see that it has sunk into the man in the portrait's face. At that far away, and to such a small target, that was a good shot.

He's looking at me, with a slightly distasteful look on his handsome face. Truly, we're not going to get along, him and me, and I can sense it. We just sit in silence, staring each other down, as I feel the train beginning to slow. We're at the station, and I can already hear the cheers and the clicking of cameras from the audience already waiting at the station. Winnow, with a delighted smile on her face, ditches Annie (who looks rather put-out. Her and I share a look, and I give her a sympathetic smile), and runs over to the window. She waves, smiling and laughing at the crowds who love her. Finnick smiles, and tilts his head at me. We look at each other with mutual dislike, and he laughs bitterly.

"Kid, if you want to survive these Games, you need to be like your sister," the thumbs over his shoulder at Winnow, who is blowing kisses now. A sick feeling comes up in my stomach; I'm not here for the damn publicity! I'm here to compete in the Hunger Games, and kill as many people as I can! Why do I need to suck up to these Capitol idiots to do that? I'm part of the Careers, for God's sake- some poor outer district tribute may have to suck up for sponsors, but I've got them already. I don't know what Winnow's doing, with her pathetic attempt at making people love her. But my ass of a mentor prods me in the leg with his foot, signalling I should get up and wave with her. Giving him one last filthy look, I go up to the window and am met with a chorus of wolf-whistles. Capitol women are actually clawing at the window, and for a second, I'm alarmed. I begin to wave grudgingly, still not liking the crowd, and there are several screams of my name, before Domitia comes up behind us, and, putting an arm around my shoulders, pulls the both of us out towards the station. The doors open for us, and as a camera flashes in my face I blink. Bloody hell, that is one bright light…

I see the expanse of the Capitol behind them, and despite myself, gasp. It's huge! Everything… everything is so different from District 4. Where is the smell of sea-salt, and the fish? Where are the small, dusty white huts and the looming Justice Building? There are plenty of tall buildings here, but they blow the Justice Building out of the water. They seem to practically hit the sky itself, and all such vibrant, crazy colours… The people, too, are so much more colourful than us District folk. They're all freakish, and… and I don't like them. They scare me.

As we are dragged through the crowd towards the Training Centre for the Games, just down a short road. It's like being famous, truly it is; there are so many photographers here! Winnow smiles like a pro and plays up to the crowds, but I'm slightly harder. I'm not nervous, but I don't want to play up to them. I show that I am only here for the Games themselves, and walk with my head high, shooting some of the cameras dirty looks. This is so dumb! It's with that thought, that I am pulled through the doors into the Training Centre, away from the crowds.

XXX

The Remake Centre must be a lot worse for the girls. Put it's pretty damn bad for us guys, too. I've had something strange rubbed into my face, where my facial hair should be, so it can't grow. Flattered that they seriously think I'm old enough to grow a beard, I didn't object. And I'm regretting it. It stings painfully, and feels like it's sinking into the pores of my skin. Ouch. It is here, in the Remake Centre that we are made to look beautiful. Our prep teams do it: three Capitol people who rub products into our hair, faces, and bodies. I've been bathed countless times, and my skin feels red raw. They rubbed what felt like sand paper all over it a few minutes ago, to get the dirt out. My body went red for a while, but has now returned to it's normal olive shade, thank God. Going into the Hunger Games bright red would be embarrassing. However, I do plan to go red in the Games. Red with blood… blood…

They're rubbing products into my hair, now, to get some more of the natural shine, apparently. I didn't know I had any natural shine, but apparently I do. They've even put waves in it, to resemble "the waves of the sea like from your district!". All of their soppy meanings for things are starting to get to me- couldn't they just make me look good without the lecture? Apparently not.

Two men and a woman, that's my prep team. Auricula, Stendarr, and Julianos are their names, and at first, I wasn't sure which one of them was Auricula. Both men have got hair so long that it reaches to the small of their backs, and apparently they're twins. They do look alike, except their hair and makeup, which is black for Stendarr, and white for Julianos. Auricula actually looks the most masculine out of the three of them, surprisingly. I accidently called her sir before I got put right, and she's holding a grudge. As she brushes my hair through, and rubs countless things into it, she scrapes at my head; I think she's doing it on purpose. Maybe I should've checked before calling her sir…? But then again, being me, I have to be accidently rude to someone, right?

My body feels cleaner than it's ever been before; they've even managed to coax out the small amount of excema around my nose. My face is practically glowing with health, now; I look almost ethereal. All stray eyebrow hairs, any hint of facial I might've had is completely gone (no!), and my face has been cleansed to olive skinned perfection. They've even managed to accelerate my skintone so I look more tanned. I look like a total girly prick, and everyone back home is going to be laughing at me, but apparently I look "handsome". Sure, I look handsome, but I also look like a girl. They didn't cut my hair, they only trimmed the very ends off, I seriously look like a teenage girl. My sister is going to take the total piss out of me…

"Well… you look all done!" says Julianos, chewing something cheerfully. They circle me for a while, plucking any other body hair I have left on my body; I didn't have much bodily hair before, and was desperately trying to grow it, and now look what they've done! A flash of anger runs through me as they giggle excitedly, clearly pleased with themselves. Finally, Auricula gushes,

"You know, with that body and face, we could put you in a dress! You're so pretty!" I scowl as she grabs me in a tight hug and do not return it. I DON'T WANT TO BE PRETTY! Eventually, she lets go and looks me up and down like a proud parent. So this is the woman who was, a few minutes ago, scraping at my head with reckless abandon. Apparently she likes me now. Great. "I think we can take you through to Azurette, your stylist." the woman says eventually, and the team squeals in excitement again (I think I may have been deafened…), and runs out of a door, leaving me alone in the room, lying on a sort of metal bed. I wonder what Azurette will be like; hopefully my stylist will be more tolerable than my prep team.

After about thirty seconds, a slim woman with long, aqua blue and long, fake turquoise eyelashes walks into the room. She doesn't look bad- no genetic mutations, anyway. The second she sees me, she smiles and beckons at me, still in the doorway. Her fingernails are far too long, slightly like talons.

"Lykos? Do you want to come in here and have some lunch and a chat?" she says, smiling pleasantly. Immediately, I realise I quite like her. Although on the outside she's overdone, she seems pleasant enough. My toleration for her is similar, already, to my toleration for Domitia. At least she's reasonably friendly, rather than just plain irritating.

I nod, a little shyly, and then realise I'm stark naked. Grimacing, I grab the thin plastic robe they gave me, and pull it on covering my nakedness. She hasn't looked away, but that doesn't matter- because she's already seen me naked I guess. And, as my stylist, will see me nude many more times. Strange, slightly perverted thought there. Following her through the door, I find myself in a small, compact room with two couches facing each other, either side of a low table, and another door which I can only guess leads to a walk in wardrobe. There is food on the table, I notice, and immediately my stomach flips. It smells good, sure, but there's loads of it. Will Azurette make me eat, like Finnick did?

Sitting myself down a little awkwardly on one of the couches, I put some of the food on my plate (chunks of chicken and orange with rolls shaped like little flowers), and begin to eat cautiously, careful not to overload my slightly weak /stomach. I still feel a bit sick from breakfast; years of living on not much food has made my stomach tiny. I don't even get hungry anymore, apart from for sweet stuff. Hopefully there'll be some sort of dessert… As I take a bite of a bit of orange, and enjoy the pleasant taste of the sweet juice on my tongue. It's delicious, the orange, and it's not savoury like the rest of the meal. I pierce the outside skin with a knife and suck out the insides, before dropping the depleted skin on the table. That's the only way I can eat oranges. Azurette does not seem to mind, though, and smiles.

"That's an interesting way to eat an orange," she says pleasantly. "I'll have to try that myself. You don't eat much do you, Lykos?"

For a second I freeze, tongue stuck in the bit of orange I am currently destroying, then shrug, putting the skin next to a pile of other husks that were once oranges filled with juice. "No. I do a lot of things strangely." I reply, before sitting backwards and relaxing. I really do like her- interesting, that's a good word for me. I like it a lot more than some other words used to describe me. It also feels strange for people to keep calling me Lykos- usually I would've been called pussy-cat or knife-boy at least once by now. Winnow and I haven't talked this morning, so I guess that's why, but it's still weird. I'm not sure I like it. "It's strange to be called Lykos so often, too. Most people would've called me knife-boy or pussy-cat by now."

Azurette studies my face intently, tilting her head to one side as she studies my facial features. "You do look a bit like a cat," she says fairly. Then, at the look of doubt on my face, she laughs. "Alright, a little bit more than that. But that's a good thing. Cats are attractive creatures. But anyway, you know about the Opening Ceremony tonight, correct?" I nod the affirmative, and she continues, her face going slightly glazed, "It's my first year for District 4. So I'm really excited as to what I'm going to do- the obvious answer is fish, right? Do you know anything about shellfish, Lykos?"

I nod my head again, not wanting to interrupt her with my speech. I'd only say something stupid and distract her. "In oysters, you can sometimes get pearls. I liked this idea, especially for you tributes. Pearls are originally rough things- like you from the districts. Then, taken to the Capitol, they are polished. And become beautiful things. We're going to go with that theme- you will be dressed in net style clothing, and pearls in your hair to represent this. You have gone from District 4 to the Capitol. Are you ready for your costume?"

Again, I nod. How many times have I nodded today? It's getting ridiculous- I might as well nod all the time. In fact I might do that, just to stop myself saying stupid things. Perhaps, if I never talked, I'd be regarded as normal.

A few hours later, I am fully dressed. My hair has been brushed out, and tinged at the ends with blue. There are pearls in my hair, and I've even got make up on! Black eyeliner, and some shimmering stuff on my cheeks… I have never felt more like a girl. Winnow will be laughing herself silly at me. A net has been wrapped around me, strategically knotted at my groin, and with some sort of shading technique, my muscles look even bigger. I look skinny, but wiry- at least the Capitol can see I'm not a girl because I don't have breasts. Thank god.

As I walk out into the corridor, I meet Winnow and her stylist, a tall red-haired man named Miquell, who is looking rather lustily at her behind. She jeers at me, as expected, but she looks even more stupid herself. Out of the two of us, I have the superior stylist; she simply looks like a whore. There, I said it. Domitia comes and squeals about how much of a splash we're going to make at the opening (splash- ha!), and Azurette and Miquell both accept compliments from us, our prep-teams, and our escort. Then, we're whisked away to the very bottom level of the Remake Centre, where tributes are being loaded into their chariots for the chariot circuit around the main square. We go to near the front, where our pearly white chariot is waiting. It's pulled by four, sprayed white horses who are neighing and waiting, occasionally pawing at the floor. Distrustful of large animals like them, I stay at a safe distance. There is a chariot between us and the rest of the Careers, and I crane around to look at them. From 2, a muscular boy who looks like he could break my neck with one flick, and a girl who looks about 14 with a deadly look in her eyes. I can't see the District 1 tributes from where I am, so I'll have to meet them in training.

"Good luck, dear sister." I say to Winnow sarcastically, and she spits at me. Her eyes are trained in on the boy from 2, and her pupils are dilated in admiration. I think she likes him… "You like the boy from 2?" I say, and she gives me a filthy look before returning to staring at him. Or, more specifically, his bulging muscles. "I think he was called Cat-boy," I say dismissively, enjoying winding her up. His name is Cato, I think, but "cat-boy" has the desired effect on my sister. She turns round to glare at me with an aggravated hiss, and shoves me hard.

"His name is Cato, and you're the only cat here, pussy-cat boy." she growls, pushing me hard. Then, with a laugh, she pokes at my arm with it's accelerated muscles. "Where'd you get those, Lykos? Out of a can?"

I turn to push her off the chariot, but then the anthem goes off so loudly I slap my hands over my ears. The ceremony is starting. Enormous doors open, revealing the crowd-lined streets outside. Immediately, Winnow's scowl is replaced with a wide smile, and she nudges me insistantly. So she wants me to play along with her, does she? Rotten bitch. But I'll do it anyway, and I grasp her hand. She moves to snatch it away, but I whisper,

"They'll love it." in her ear. Immediately she holds my hand so hard it hurts, and I wince, doubling over. She just has to outthink me for everything, doesn't she? I hope I sweat into her hand.

Then, the tributes from 1 emerge out into the streets, and the cheers begin. The crowd absoutely roars; they're beautiful, the tributes from 1, and always favourites with the Capitol. District 2 goes, then District 3, and finally we're being pulled out into the open and the crowd begins to scream our names too. We lift our held hands up so the whole of the Capitol can see, and the cheers get even louder, as we wave to the people. People are clambering over each other to get a look at us, and I even hear my own name being shouted amongst the screams. I refuse to smile, but I reach out to the person who last screamed it with my hand, and she reaches out too. From the look on her face, she must be falling in love with me. Half a dozen hands reach out to me, and I wink, and am answered by countless squeals from the women. But I will not smile.

The chariots do a long loop of the city centre, and eventually we find ourselves in front of President Snow's mansion. The man himself is up on a balcony, and does his usual speech, welcoming us to the Games. It's only then that I sense a light behind us- not one of the lamps the Capitol has set up. Curious, and bored by the President's speech, I turn my head around… and gasp. District 12 are on fire. For a second, I want to scream "FIRE!" and throw a bucket of water at them, but it's only then I notice most of the other tributes, and the crowd, are looking at them. They know this, and are smiling smugly. What?! Okay, so their stylists set them on fire?! Seriously?! Prodding Winnow, who is still staring adoringly at Cato, I whisper for her to turn around. She does so, intrigued, and together we glare at the tributes from 12. For once, I find myself, if only for a split second, getting along with my sister.

"We should throw water at them." I mutter angrily, and she nods angrily, for once agreeing with me. Isn't this a turn up for the books? My sister is agreeing with me. Dear God! Run people! The apocalypse is beginning, the horses will be eating their young, my sister has agreed with me! I desperately want to shout this out, but decide not to. Wouldn't go down too well with the sponsors, especially since we're trying to appear as the loving brother and sister. Our hands are still entwined. It's weird and I don't like it.

Eventually, the President shuts up, and the chariots move on; we do one last sweep of the circuit, before the chariots disappear into the training centre. The second the chariot stops, and we're out of view of the crowds, Winnow drops my hand like it's a dead fish, disgusted, and hops down. Giving me a dirty look, she beckons for me to come down as we walk towards the Careers from 1 and 2. They are talking to each other, in a group of four, and the girl from 1 points us out to the others. They turn around and look at us as we walk over to them. We must look just as pissed off as they all do, because the girl from 1 immediately bursts out,

"Did you see those idiots from 12?!" she says, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at the tributes from 12 as they come in, still waving, as the huge doors to the training centre are shut behind them. Everybody looks a bit putout, and I can sense that the rest of the Careers attitudes are dangerous. I'm very glad I'm with them, because they've accepted us immediately. We are the classic Careers.

"Yeah," spits the girl from 2, flicking her hair out of her face. Although she is pretty, I can see a spark of madness in those dark eyes. A tingle of fear appears in my stomach. "But who cares? Just 'cause they've got good stylists, doesn't mean they're any good with weapons." she laughs mercilessly, and I watch as the boy from 2, Cato, gives her an appraising look. Already, these people frighten me. But… but I'm going to have to work with them. They could just be all talk, who knows?

We stand in silence for a second, glaring over at the other tributes, before the boy from 1 smiles at us. Immediately, I get the impression that he isn't very smart, same as the girl from 1. They both seem rather ditzy, although they are rather beautiful. He holds out a hand to me. "Hey. We haven't met," he begins cheerily. "I'm Marvel, from 1. My district partner there," he points at the girl from 1, who is looking at me flirtatiously. My throat goes rather dry, and I feel a tingling in my stomach. She's gorgeous. "Is Glimmer. Glimmer, hands off, you might upset his sister there," Marvel winks at Winnow who blushes, and rolls her eyes.

The boy and girl from 2 are looking at us with those hard, cruel eyes. Although they aren't looking aggressively, I can sense a hidden danger behind those eyes. I keep my gaze on Marvel and Glimmer, who seem more friendly, so not to aggravate. "I'm Lykos, and that's Winnow." I say, gesturing at my sister who smiles prettily. I'm guessing we'll be playing up the brother-sister-who-care-about-each-other thing in the Games too. If I can put up with her; maybe I'll just accidently make sure a rock falls on her head. "Nice to meet you all."

"I'm Clove, and this is Cato." the girl from 2 says unexpectedly, and I notice she's looking plain into my face. Unlike with Glimmer, she isn't doing in flirtatiously, not at all. Her eyes are full of death, and full of the promise of it. I can see, from the look in her face, that we're not going to be friends. Ah well- I didn't come into these Games to make friends anyway. But I'm not going to make enemies either. Cato is looking at me in a similar way, although with a little less madness. He extends a hand, and silently, we shake.

The stylists and escorts from 1 come over, and peel Glimmer and Marvel off, leaving my sister and I alone with Cato and Clove. It's awkward without the chatty duo from 1, and we stand there in silence for a few seconds, before Clove speaks up again, breaking the silence.

"What can you do?" she says in an interested voice, and I notice that now the tributes from 1 are gone, she seems a lot more civil. I suppose they must've annoyed her, or something, because she's looking at us in a slightly more friendly way now. The look on Cato's face is the same, however. It takes me a few seconds to register her question, then I say, careful not to sound weird,

"I throw knives. I'm not a bad swordsman, either."

Clove seems satisfied by that answer- she's a knifethrower too, apparently. We chat offhandedly for a while, the tension in the air obvious, before our escorts, mentors and stylists come along. We go up to our floors together, however, in a huge glass elevator. The parties from 3 and 5 are in here too, and I find myself squished against the foxfaced girl from 5, seperated from the others. It's immensely awkward, being squished together so, and I quickly get off at my floor, blushing bright red. I can feel her gaze on my back as I get out, and wonder what she's looking at. I turn around to ask, eventually, but the elevator has already gone.

Our quarters are huge; a large room that serves as a dining room and a sitting room, with several different layers, and an elevated platform with the dining table on it. There's also a corridor with several doors coming off it, and I soon discover these are where our rooms are. Although the apartment is plush and luxurious, and everything looks so modern and beautiful, all I want to do is sleep. I walk into my room and strip out of my clothing, before slipping into bed naked.

That night, between these soft Capitol sheets, I sleep well; with my alliance sealed, I have a chance in these Games. No, not a chance. I will win. And there's nothing Cato or Clove can do to stop me.


	4. The Girl On Fire

It's colder in the Capitol than it is in District 4. I register this as I slowly wake up, to the sound of somebody shouting my name. Sleepily, I roll over and my covers fly off, dropping off the bed. There is a sharp squeal, and looking up in horror, I see Domitia standing in the doorway with her hands over her eyes. Oh my God, she's seen me naked! With a yelp, I grab the covers and pull them up to my chin, swearing crazily. What's she doing in my room?! Woken up by this startling exchange, I cower against the wall, with my covers pulled up over my head as I moan in embarrassment. Why the hell did I choose to sleep naked?!

Through bleary eyes, I notice Winnow standing in the door behind Domitia. She gives me a cruel smile and waggles her fingers. Infuriated, I grab a pair of pants from the floor and, under the covers, pull them on. Throwing the cover aside, shirtless and shoeless, I sprint for my older sister, arms held out in rage. Winnow lets out a shriek of amusement and runs into the dining room; I push past Domitia to try and get to her, who shrieks again seeing I'm shirtless. That bitch! She must've told the escort to come into my room, knowing that I'd be naked (I usually sleep naked). What a… what a!

"Calm down, Lykos, it was only a joke!" she yells from a few metres in front of me, and screams with laughter as I dive for her and she dodges out the way. Falling to the floor, I skid forwards on the polished tiles, and my head cracks hard into the wall. I yell out in pain and scrunch into a little ball, clutching my head and groaning.

"Well, REALLY!" I hear Domitia yell, and then I register the situation properly. I'm lying on the floor in a ball, practically naked, crying in pain as Winnow laughs at me. Now this… this is an embarrassing situation. Standing up, I run for my room and barge through it, cursing my sister and hating her with every single atom in me. That… that bitch! I hate her. I just damn hate her!

It takes me a while to get up properly- I shower, and wash my hair. When white things come out I'm shocked, and slip over as I step backwards, thinking pieces of my skin are coming out… Then, with a sigh of relief, I remember the pearls. I forgot to take all of them out, last night, and I kick them down the drain with disgust. I can practically hear Azurette screaming at me for it, but I don't care. For a few moments I just sit there, letting the hot water run over my legs, before getting up and washing myself properly. Then, I dress in the tawny trousers and white t-shirt laid out on my bed, as well as grudgingly pulling on the tight canvas shoes to go with my outfit, and eat a small breakfast of fruit and rolls, glaring at Winnow who has a smug expression on her face. Truly, I hate her. I hate her. For once, I thank my stars that we're both being sent in an arena to kill each other. Because, sadly, I don't know how long the brother-sister-who-care-about-each-other thing will go on, once there's less of us left. Perhaps I can kill and eat her, just out of interest. How does human flesh taste? Who knows… who knows…

"Alright, so I'm guessing you two are playing up the brother and sister thing, correct?" Finnick says, while I pick at an apple and Winnow gorges herself on batter-cakes covered in preserve. I scraped the preserve of the battercakes and just ate that- it was so sweet. I also have the pot of sugar next to me, and I'm dipping everything I eat in it. Eventually, when I run out of fruit, I just take pinches of it and eat it myself. The others stare at me in distaste.

"Yeah," says Winnow, shooting me a look of immense dislike. "Should get us sponsors, right?"

The table agrees, at large, and we are told that we have to look like we like each other in public. "Nobody out of this room can know you hate each other's guts. Understand?" Finnick says clearly, and we both sigh and agree, glaring at each other. I hate her. I hate her. I hate her. "Even the other Careers have to think you adore each other. Oh yes, and Lykos? Try not to be weird."

We go down to training in the elevator, and go past ground level into the earth. It feels almost suffocating, and I voice this concern to the place at large, but my sister hits me and tells me to stop being so pathetic. As there are no other people in the lift aside from the two of us, this seems safe. Hopefully, they haven't got cameras in here.

The Training Hall is large and completely black; all across the room are various weapon stands and obstacle courses. We're nearly the first to arrive, which is a surprise. The other Careers, however, have already arrived, as well as the tributes from 3, 5, 9, and 10. So we're just waiting for 6, 7, 8, 11, and 12; annoyingly, we can't start until then. The other tributes are already standing in a tense line, eyeing each other up, in order of age. Apparently they know each one of our birthday's- gaps have been left for the remaining tributes. I smile at the boy from 1, who waves goofily at me, and then feel someone pinning the number 4 to my back, and hustling me in line next to an empty space behind me, and the girl from 5 in front of me. My face is inches away from her bright red hair, and I am reminded of yesterday, in the elevator, when I was jammed up beside her. We seem always to be in this situation, her and me. Being jammed up close together; I silently wonder what her name is and who she is. She'll die in the Bloodbath, being from District 5 (tributes from there almost always do), but there's something about her expression that intrigues me. Don't know what. Plus, and this is really weird, I like her hair. The colour is pretty; the perfect shade between ginger and red. I like it.

Okay, this is getting weird. Brain, shut up.

For a few minutes we all just stand there, eyeing each other up. The remaining tributes all arrive, and eventually, District 12 does too. They really do have to draw all the damn attention, don't they? Everybody gives them dirty looks as they line up, and the kid behind me, the girl from 8, actually snorts in distaste. I give her a keen look and she returns it; she's got red hair, too. She's definitely from District 8, the most rebellious district out of the lot; with her proud eyes and the way she holds up her head. Even though I'm a Career, she doesn't fear me. I can respect her for that. Turning back around as the head trainer begins to talk, I listen as she lectures us. We are to go from station to station, as per our mentor's advice, and learn things. She tells us that we will not be allowed to fight, and if we do, we'll be banned from training for the rest of the day. She also recommends that we use the survival tables as much as the weapons ones, but who cares about survival? I'm a Career, so everything foodwise will be handed to me, practically on a silver platter. The Hunger Games, apart from taking out my fellow Careers later on, should be a breeze.

As soon as she finishes, I walk over to the throwing knives station with Clove, and together we chuck knives at targets, chatting breathlessly as we do so. We're trying to intimidate the field, and as I throw a particularly vicious shot into a dummy's head, the boy from District 10 leaps about a foot into the air, and limps off, clutching his head. I laugh darkly, and pretend to aim a knife at his head for Clove's amusement. She grins too, and for the next two hours, we toss knives until we grow bored and move on, splitting up. I can't help but see Cato and Winnow together; she's practically hanging off his arm already, stupid whore. I guess if we're going to keep up the brother-sister thing we should do some stations together, and I detatch her cheerily while she snarls at me.

However she grudglingly comes to the sword station with me, and we act for all we're worth; she corrects my stance multiple times, and encourages me. Then it's time for lunch, and we all meet back up again and go over into the lunch station where Cato commandeers us a table. While they all load their plates, and I put a small container of vegetable soup and a roll on mine, we chat raucously, still intimidating the other tributes. They mostly sit on their own, bleakly nibbling at food, and we bitch loudly about them. Might as well make them feel even worse about themselves.

"So Lykos…" Glimmer really seems to have an interest in me . We've sort of been paired off, us in the Careers- Cato and Winnow are acting like a couple already, Marvel is desperately trying to win Clove's heart, and she keeps rejecting him, and Glimmer is constantly going after me. Although I'm not looking for a relationship, let alone with someone I'll probably end up killing (also because she has to be one of the dumbest people I have ever met…), but she's beautiful and I might as well have some fun. "I saw you throwing knives. You're really good…" Clove is making sick noises in the background, but I don't care, and end up spending that whole lunchtime flirting with Glimmer. I even manage not to say anything embarrassing! It's nice to have a girl that doesn't think you're weird going after you… and it's new, too. The Careers count me as one of them, and for the first time in my life, I feel accepted.

I spend the rest of that afternoon throwing spears with Marvel, and exchanging glances with Glimmer across the room occasionally. Marvel jokes about how her and me are going to end up together, somehow, but I don't listen. It's nice to have a girl after me, but that's really the only reason I tolerate her. She doesn't want a relationship with me, she probably has a boyfriend back home- she's just an airheaded girl who likes flirting. And that's just fine.

XXX

On the second day of training, I have a more subdued day. After a few moments of choosing, I end up at the firemaking station, and the girl from 5 is there, too. She's already doing it like a professional, having been there for about half an hour, and I copy her as she rubs flint and two sticks together, and rely on her judgement for which sticks to use for a fire. She gives me a strange look, after noticing that I'm watching her, and shifts away almost immediately; disappearing from sight. I look after her into the crowd of tributes, chatting and training, and just once, I catch sight of a glimpse of red hair.

After she goes I sort of lose patience for fire-making, and after successfully making a fire, I walk off towards the edible plants station, where the boy and girl from 12 are. I try and ignore them, as I sort through poisonous berries and try not to listen to them whispering to each other, but eventually I grow too interesting. What are these attention-seeking fools talking about now?

"What can we do about it?" mutters the girl in a hushed voice, and I recognise anger in her tone. The boy, a little shocked, replies,

"Nothing. Just making conversation."

So they aren't as happy in paradise as all that, are they? I grin to myself as they walk off, and notice the girl shooting me an angry glare. I wave sarcastically at her, and hear a muffled laugh from behind me. Turning around, I only see a mane of red-hair disappearing into the crowd, and frown to myself as I nibble at a possibly poisonous berry. Why is she always running away from me? I don't even know her name, but I'm intrigued with her, the girl from District 5. Much more intrigued than I am with Glimmer.

When I get back to the 4th floor that night, there is the usual fight between me and Winnow, but this time it's about something else. It's not only me, apparently, who has noticed the fact that the red-haired girl keeps being near me. According to my older sister, as she corners me outside my room that night, after dinner, she doesn't like it.

Slamming me against the wall, outside the door to my room, Winnow presses against me with narrowed eyes. Although she's shorter than I am, at about 5ft6, she'd a lot stockier and more muscular. I'm wiry, but there's little fat to bulk me up. "You've got an admirer," she crows, stepping back to look me up and down, with a cruel glint in her eyes. For a moment I think she's talking about Glimmer, and a smirk comes onto my face. Remembering how my prep team described me, I look down at her with a smug smile.

"Some of us are actually pretty."

In my head, that last line sounded normal. In real life, I sound gay.

Resisting the urge to fall to my knees and cry, I stare her down, pretending that last line is entirely normal. She narrows her eyes even tighter at me, and shakes her head in astonishment.

"Lykos, how can you actually be so stupid and not be dead yet?" my sister replies scathingly, rolling her eyes. "Pretty, are you? What are you, a four year old girl? Oh yes, I forgot. You're just crap." She tosses her hair and smiles, like she's really got one over on me. Well isn't she damn fantastic with her hilarious jokes?

"Glimmer doesn't think so." I hit back, and surprised I haven't said something even stupider, I very nearly fist-pump. She growls, and her face turns bright red as she looks at me with darkness in her eyes. You really couldn't tell she's my sister- she's short, stocky, and dark. I'm tall, skinny as a beanpole, and tawny. Winnow makes to flounce away into the dining room to talk to Annie about even more tactics (both our mentors and Domitia have been grilling us about tactics ever since we got in from the training hall. But just as she's about to go, she turns her head around and gives me an unpleasant look.

"And anyway, I wasn't talking about Glimmer- by the way you were drooling over her and talking crap for about three hours, I got the fact you know she's ready to be your whore…" she winks mysteriously as she sweeps around the corner. "I was talking about that ginger girl from 5."

XXX

The next day, at lunchtime, the Gamemakers start to take us out for our evaluations; sitting with the Careers with Glimmer practically on my lap, we wish each other good luck before Marvel is the first to go in. He steels himself up with a manly cough (hah!), before making his way through the door and back into the gymnasium. After about ten minutes Glimmer's name is called, and she kisses my cheek before walking in herself with a giggle. The other Careers laugh, shaking their heads, and I realise I've gone bright red. Looking away from the table, humiliated, I notice they are not the only ones looking at me. Some of the other tributes are too: the boy from 12, the boy from 3, the girl from 8, and, most importantly, the girl from 5. They all look away when they realise I've looked up, pretending they weren't looking at all, but my eyes train in on the girl from 5. Where the rest of them have managed to keep straight faces, there is a small, slightly sad smile on her own.

Clove laughs nastily, and turning around, I see her, Cato, and Clove are watching the girl from 5 too, with mocking faces. A twinge of guilt fills my stomach; I've brought the other's attention onto her now. "Hey, look," Clove says, in a jeering voice. "Ginger's jealous." Winnow bursts into peals of laughter, and Cato grins darkly. Even in the slightly dim light, and with her hair covering her face, I see that she too has gone red. Wanting to get the attention away from both her, and myself, I bring the conversation onto how Glimmer is doing, and they tease me about that before Cato goes in. After that, the conversation moves to lighter grounds: we talk about our favourite Capitol foods so far, and then it's Clove's turn to go in, and both myself and Winnow wish her good luck. Leaving her and me alone. For a second I think to start up an argument with her, but remembering the brother-sister rule, we discuss our chariot costumes for a while until eventually, my name is called. My sister pulls me into a long hug, and wishes me good luck, before I walk back into the gymnasium.

The Gamemakers are watching from a balcony over the gymnasium, and they've got a huge feast from which they are all eating. However, as I walk into the room, most of them stop and come and watch me- intrigued looks on their faces. They've seen me throw knives before, from when they were watching during training, so I've got nothing to be scared of. With a confident smile, I walk to the centre of the room.

"Lykos Danio, District 4." I say cleanly, before moving over to the weapon's rack, and picking out some of the knives I practised with in training. Flicking them between my hands, I play with them for ten seconds, letting my hands get used to the feel and get warmed up. Then, shoving some of them into my belt, I grasp one in each hand and throw across at two seperate dummies, skewering them both through the heart. With a quick turn, I grab another two and throw one of them mid turn- it hits a dummy clean in the face, before I roll forwards to throw another straight into a stomach. Taking another, longer knife out, I skid behind a dummy, lightening fast, and decapitate it with speed, before tossing another knife over my shoulder and stabbing another dummy in the head.

I finish and walk over to the sword station, dropping my knives, and, quickly, do a complicated routine I was taught back at the training centre. Although I'm not amazingly skilled with swords, this routine is fluid and looks improvised, and is good show. Decapitating the first dummy, with my knife still stuck in it's head, I grab the knife as the head spins in mid-air, and hold it in my left hand, with my sword in my right. I do the routine of slicing off various limbs of dummies until, when I'm done, I put my weapons back on their racks and walk to the centre of the room, and bow my head. The Gamemakers all look impressed- I'm holding out for a good score. I showed them the best that I can do, and if I don't get a 9, at least, then these Games are a joke.

I go up in the elevator to my floor, and sit around in the sitting room for a bit, boasting as I talk to Finnick about what I did. He glares at me, then stalks off to get himself a coffee, so I end up boasting to Annie instead. And when Winnow comes up, with a proud smile on her face, I show off to her too- we spend the next hour or so bantering about who did better. We even have a bet running; the person who gets the lower score has to get on their knees and admit the other person is amazing, gorgeous, and perfect at everything, as the Training Scores come up on TV. Marvel, first, gets a training score of 9. Glimmer gets an 8, and Cato and Clove both get 10's. The boy and girl from 3 both get low scores, so low that I don't even bother to remember them, and then it's our turn.

My picture comes up on TV, with the number 9. With a grin, I accept the other's congratulations- I was never going to get as high as Cato or Clove, and a 9 is a good score, even for a Career. Ten is the highest anyone ever usually gets- there has never been a 12, and only one or two 11's. Winnow gets a 9 too, and as the boy from 5 comes up, we argue over who should be the one to get worshipped, considering we both got the same score. Finnick and Miquell decide that, as a compromisation, we should both shut up for the rest of the night. Scowling, we agree, and shoot daggers at each other.

Then, as the picture of the girl from 5 comes up, Winnow can't help sneering. "Bet your girlfriend gets a zero." she says contemptuously. Her names comes up too- Marissa Finch, aged 15. My age. She gets a 5, which Winnow sneers at, but I ignore. She is NOT my girlfriend! The rest of the scores are all mediocre, until we get to the girl from 12's. She gets an 11.

The TV turns off.

The room is completely silent, and I feel rage bubbling up from within me. Then, like a volcano, it bursts out in a rush of furious words. 11?! "She got a damn 11!" I shout, and yell a swear-word at the top of my lungs. Domitia shushes me, outraged at my language, but everyone else has similar looks of anger on her face. But I'm… I'm furious! What did she do to deserve an 11?! She's pretty, that's why, she's beautiful… I bet she seduced the Gamemakers, or stripped or something! That's the only way a scrawny bitch from District 12 could get an 11!

"That's so damn stupid! What could she do that we couldn't!?" I yell, getting up and kicking the wall, frenzied. Some of the others are watching me in shock as I yell about the injustice of it all. I wish that stupid girl would just die already- I hate her! Has she been training for all her life to go into these Games? No she damn hasn't! Eventually, it's Winnow who speaks up to comfort me. She is the only one used to my temper tantrums.

"Calm down, Lykos," she says in a steely voice, glaring at the blank screen with a look of true hatred in her eyes. She twists her head around to face me, and a grim look of anger appears on her face. "Don't throw a stupid tantrum, like a baby would. We'll kill her in the arena. With all us Careers verses one, skinny little bitch from District 12… We'll make it long and slow. Just to show her and the Gamemakers what we think of that score…" her voice is deadlier than all of my shouting and I find myself subdued, staring at her. After all my years of irritating her, I've never seen her this angry. "We'll make her pay, don't worry, Lykos."

After that, we go and have dinner- lambchops and mashed potatoes with peas. I ignore the main course and just have the dessert- a chocolate custard with little cherries dotted on it. It tastes heavenly, and I take a bowl full with me to bed, where I sit and eat it in the pitch dark. After that, I go straight to sleep- tomorrow, we have the interviews. But in the day, we've got coaching for the interviews; that'll be an insufferably boring day with Finnick being rude to me and Domitia trying to make me less abnormal. Oh yippee.

My dreams that night are wracked with the girl from 12. If only she'd just die...


	5. Sharing the Night

**Last chapter until we get into the arena :) In this one, however, Foxface/Marissa and Lykos meet properly-ish. Well, they talk a little bit, at least, and we gain some insight on his feelings. Or lack of them, whatever you want to call it ;) Please read and review- reviews seriously keep me going at the moment**

The next morning, I awaken and have a quick shower and dressing, before going into the dining room and eating a quick, subdued breakfast. I'm still steaming from the night before, and my dreams last night were all full of me carving up Katniss' stupid face. People call her beautiful? I'll ruin that beauty. I'll destroy that beauty. I'll maim her until all that's left of her is a bloody hunk of meat. But most of all, I'm interested- what did she do to get that 11? But my thoughts aren't only of her, they're of the foxfaced girl from 5, too. Marissa. It's a pretty name, Marissa.

Everyone is, as usual, already at the table when I get there. Drinking a cup of black coffee (with so much sugar in it could be called sugared water), I listen vaguely as Domitia tells us the plan for the day. She will be spending the morning helping me with my etiquette and stuff, and then my afternoon will be spent being mentored by Finnick. Winnow is the other way round: morning with Annie, afternoon with Domitia. We all split off, with me and Domitia going to my room, and Annie and Winnow staying out in the dining room.

"First off, have you decided your angle for the interview?" Domitia says brightly, smiling at me as she stands up. I'm sitting on the couch, looking blankly at her. Seeing the confusion in my face, she rolls her eyes, and says, "Your angle for the interview. How you're going to act…" For a few moments she looks at me, frowning. In a quiet voice, more to herself than me, she mumbles, "Flirtatious? No. Cocky? He couldn't pull that off… Charming? Perhaps charming could work, in a kind of morbid way… Steer clear of funny, God knows what he'd do trying to be humourous…"

She seems to have forgotten I'm here, because she mutters to herself for about twenty minutes. We've only got fourr hours until the swapover (or, now, 3 hour and 40 minutes…), until eventually, she snaps her fingers and a triumphant smile comes onto her face. "I've got it! Adorably charming!"

And then she practically leaps on me- for the next two hours, I am viciously taught many things. How to stop slumping my shoulders and ducking my head when I talk- she actually grabs my chin and makes me stare her in the eyes as I talk. It's humiliating, and although I'm patient and do what she tells me to, when our session is up I leave the room with relief. She at least seems to think it was a success, because there is a genuine smile on her face. We go into the dining room for lunch, and I can see from the looks on both Annie's and Winnow's faces that their session didn't go quite as well. With just a little bit of smugness, I sit down at the table with them and begin to eat my usual, minimal portion while Domitia gushes about how well our morning went. From the twitch in my sister's jaw, I can see she is irritated. Smiling sweetly at her, I finish my meal and follow Finnick back to my room to discuss content.

"I've only got you for four or so hours…" he looks at me critically, with an unfriendly gaze. For a second we stare each other down, before he sighs. "First off, no trying to be funny. No jokes about death, no going into graphic detail about how you're going to kill other tributes, and no being weird… It'll be difficult, but you've managed to be vaguely normal so far. Don't ruin your good streak."

He goes on to complain about me for a few hours, and goes vaguely into detail about what I should talk about. He tells me, as I'm going with the adorably charming thing, to be cheerfully optimistic, a little shy, and always compliment and be a little unsure of myself. But use subtle undertones of being dangerous and sadistic- the audience will be lead to believe that I'm slightly insane. Which is a good thing, according to Finnick. Also, I am to mention liking a lot of girls, talk about who I have crushes on, and always be complimentary of Caesar, yet again. Be protective of my sister, do not listen to a bad word against her, boast a little bit about my skills. All in all, be a nice, if slightly eccentric, kid. I wonder what the Capitol will think when that "nice, slightly eccentric, adorably charming kid" starts killing people? Should be interesting.

Eventually, after the four hours have dragged themselves by, Finnick leaves me in my room alone to brood and hate him. It's seven, and I just want to kill myself. Why can't I get into the Games already?! These hours are dragging themselves by- I don't want to have to impress the dumb audience! I wish I was big enough just to impress them with that, but I have to be fucking adorable?! I'm a fifteen year old boy, who dreams of killing people, and is probably sadistically insane! Why should I have to be charming, just to make some hideous Capitol people like me? The only reason I came into these stupid Games was to win! If people don't like me, then I don't give a shit! I just want them to fear me, to respect me! But I'll earn their respect, and their fear. I'll show them just how crazy I am, the minute we get into the arena.

I haven't trained to make people like me- I've been trained to kill! All my life, I've been trained to kill! My mother died, and she made me ill by dying! She made me crazy, it was her fault! If she'd lived, and my twin sister had lived, maybe I would've been able to go into these Games and make people like me! I wouldn't have been weird; Winnow and Derry could've actually cared about me, instead of shunning me as a weirdo! I'd be bigger and stronger, because I never would've had to go and live in the Community Home. Even if my father had died, I still would've had my mother: we weren't poor! We were just a regular District 4 family, GODDAMIT!

Grabbing a vase, I throw it across the room with such force that it smashes, with pieces raining everywhere. Running over to the pile, I kneel next to the shards and look at them with a dark gleam in my eyes. Soon, I promise myself, as I begin to collect up the bits of vase in my hands, and throw them into the disposal shoot with disgust. Nobody has come, even at the smash, so I suppose they think I must be dangerous. Well maybe I am dangerous. So dangerous that I could kill all of them… maybe I should just get one of the knives from the dining table and go out there and stab every single one of them? I hate them all- apart from Azurette and Annie, I hate them all.

Clenching my fists, I go over to my bed and put my head in my hands and cry, scrunching up in a tiny ball. I'm mad. I'm so, damn mad. Why was I made like this?! I want my mother, I want my father, I want any of them! I just don't want to be alone- I don't want to do these Games anymore! Why can't I just go home? For the next few hours as it grows dark I cry and then, fully clothed and with red, swollen eyes, I crawl into bed and try to sleep. There's no getting out of this now, I think to myself as I curl up. I'm a killing machine; I have to kill. That's what I was born to do- to bring glory to my District. That's what I was made for, right? I shouldn't be crying. It's… it's weak. Eventually, when the clock ticks midnight and I still can't sleep, I get up, tears still dripping down my face, and pace around my room.

"What am I going to do?" I mumble to myself, wiping my face with my hands and trying to hide the shameful tears still coming from my eyes. I don't want to be here; I remember Domitia saying, ages ago, that you can get onto the roof of the Training Centre if you go to the very top floor. I'll go up there- she said we were allowed. And if the worst comes to the worst, I'll just throw myself off it.

Sneaking through the dark rooms, I open the door to the elevator as quietly as I can, so not to make a noise. Getting in, I press the button marked ROOF and when I finally get there, I go out through the doors and into the blessed moonlight. It's not massively big, but it's beautiful: dozens of flower beds, and a long, beautifully carved rail. Also the view is fantastic; the Capitol is beautiful, from above. Lights twinkle like fireflies down below me, and I can still hear the buzz of their voices, even at this hour. What are they doing down there? Their cars are snaking up and down streets, and I can see the tall buildings all around me. The view up here, in the highest building, is phenomenal. Walking closer to the rail, not paying attention to if there's anything else up here, I gaze, spellbound, at the streets below. For a few moments I just stand there, before I sense another prescence up here. Silently knowing who it is, I turn around to see Marissa, the red-haired girl from District 5 who I swear is following me. She's not looking at me, however, but I get the sense she may have been only seconds ago. Turning around and leaning against the rail, I watch her with confused eyes, as she stares down. After a few seconds, she moves over to the elevator to leave, sensing my gaze, but before I can think, I find myself speaking.

"Wait!"

She turns around, still not looking at me. Although her body is facing my own, her amber eyes are staring at the ground. She doesn't reply, and carefully stares downwards. Lost, I don't know what to say. Why did I stop her anyway- what could I possibly have to say to this girl? We've never spoken, but I've seen her and… and she intrigues me. God, I really must be crazy; she's just some weird tribute from District 5 who may or may not be stalking me. So why do I care so much? Why am I so interested in her? Wrestling with my inner concience, I stare at her, not knowing what to say. Then, embarrassed, I realise my eyes still must be puffy from crying and there are tear-tracks down my face. Turning away to look back at the city, I say in a quiet voice,

"You don't have to go because of me. There's room here for both of us."

I wait for an answer, to hear her voice, but she does not reply. However, a few seconds later when I turn around again, I see that she has gone back to looking over the edge, like myself. She's as far away from me as she can be, but I still sense she's looking at me. Or maybe I'm just becoming too obsessed with this strange, foxfaced girl. Marissa. Eventually, the lights down in the streets die, and I realise we must've been here for hours, just staring at the Capitol people. The only lights left, now, are the floodlights illuminating the roof. It's almost like we're standing above an abyss, that is the darkness that is below. I'm so tired, but I don't want to be the first to go. Petty and childish as it is, I want to be the one who stays later.

After a while, I'm so tired that I feel like I'm going to fall asleep on my feet; my eyes are drooping like a bloodhounds. Admitting defeat to myself, I turn around to see her, still alert, staring at the darkness below. She must have better eyesight than me, or something, because all I can see is blackness. For a moment I watch her curiously, before walking off towards the elevator, wondering if I should say something else. It feels like I should, simply because we've shared the night together, but what is there to say? Thank you, I enjoyed staring into the dark with you? Thanks, you intrigue me? Thanks, I like your ginger hair? Thanks, you've got a pretty name? God, they all sound so creepy. The girl still hasn't moved, and as I take a step towards her she flinches and turns around with wide eyes, gripping the rail with both hands. What does she think I'm going to do? Attack her?

Wide-eyed, she looks like she's about to run. But then, from the look on my face, she stops. Her eyes narrow and she gives me a strange look. She's still ready to defend herself if the need arises, but by no means is she thinking I'm going to go for her anymore. Marissa steps sideways, and begins to walk in a slow circle, towards the elevator. She's still scared and if I move, I know she'll bolt. However, although I am the more threatening one here, I can't help but feel scared of her. The foxfaced girl looks into my eyes as she stops, by the door of the elevator, ready to run if needs be.

"You… you're Marissa, right?" I ask, and I'm ashamed to hear a quiver in my voice. Why am I being so pathetic? She doesn't scare me… I can't keep lying to myself. This foxfaced girl with those eyes… she terrifies me. It's almost like she's looking into my soul, looking into my very being. To look into those almost animalistic orbs makes my heart pound with fear; Marissa is more scary, to me, than Clove and Cato put together. Because she doesn't talk.

Marissa doesn't reply, she just flinches, as her eyes dart towards the elevator doors and back. She truly is fox-like, with her sharp eyes and quick movements. The Fox and the Pussycat, that's what we are. As I watch her carefully, eyes never leaving her own, she nods. Slowly.

"I… I've seen you… um…" I try and speak to her, but feel my mouth going dry. There are butterflies in my stomach as she just looks at me, no emotion in her eyes. Her face is totally deadpan- she doesn't look like anything I can say could faze her. She still looks suspicious, although a little more relaxed. "I've seen you around." I finish vaguely, as if that's the end as to what I was going to say. Marissa is still looking at me, as if waiting for me to say something of actual importance. Defeated, and without anything to say, eventually I mumble, "Good luck with the interview."

I make to slope off through the doors and go back down, but the sound of a voice stops me. Her voice. It's quiet, and she speaks quickly. Her voice doesn't display any emotion, and without turning around to look at her, I sense she is staring at me. "You're Lykos, aren't you? From District 4?" without turning around, I nod. Give her a taste of her own medicine, I suppose. For a moment she pauses, as if thinking through what she's going to say in return. Then, finally, in a slightly strained voice, she replies, "Thanks." she replies. With a frown, I turn around. What is she thanking me for? Seeing my expression, she replies, "For wishing me good luck. Good luck to you too."

And with that, she slips past me into the Training Centre, and the doors shut behind her. I hear the elevator going down… Wait a second, I needed to get in that! The mood gone, I jam my finger repeatedly on the button, swearing at the top of my lungs. Sure it may have been mysterious for her to go down alone, I really need to get in that damn lift… Eventually it comes back up, empty, and I get back in. I'm so tired I could actually fall asleep on the floor of the elevator, but I know I can't do that. However, it takes some skill to stay awake all the way down to the 4th floor. When I get in, I stagger over to the sofa and fall down, asleep the second I hit the soft fabric.

That night, I sleep well. If only for about four hours.

XXX

The next morninng, I am awoken by my prep team: they work on me till late afternoon. How much can they do to me? Auricula brushes my hair into it's usual, loose style and tints the ends a sea-green; the same colour as my eyes. I've got makeup on again, which is irritating, but I have to admit they do it well. My eyes look more wide and innocent, which goes well with the whole "adorably charming" thing, I am left at that. Not as much… shimmer… as the chariots, which is better.

Then, Azurette comes in with my outfit for the night: a sea green suit the same colour as my eyes, with a white shirt underneath. It's pretty, and there are wave like patterns on the cuffs; I'm secretly rather glad my prep team didn't decide to put me in a dress, like they threatened. I only survive that morning without shouting at them by thinking of the night before, with Marissa. It was… strange, to say the least. How I've grown an interest in this strange, mysterious tribute. Well, it's sort of more like an obsession, as weird as that sounds- the way I acted around her was like a stuttering fool. Maybe I like her. Maybe I'm just intimidated by her. Who knows?

I don't think Glimmer will stay interested in me for long- she hasn't seen the strange side of me, yet. She'll probably go after Cato, and her and my stupid sister will get into a cat-fight over him. I can't imagine Clove liking anyone; I think her idea of "having a crush on a guy" would be crushing them to death. Out of all of them, I've actually found myself quite liking Clove. Cato barely speaks to me, and when he does he is barely civil. Marvel and Glimmer, although they both seem to like me, are both annoying when you have to actually spend time with them. Although we're never going to be friends, I admire the little girl from District 2. Her skill with knives unmatchable- she's even better than I am, and I've spent my whole life devoted to it. I should be jealous, but I'm not, since she's been just as devoted to it as me. The only reason I'm angry at "the girl on fire" is that I can't see how she deserved that 11. If she actually had skill with anything, I wouldn't hold a grudge.

She probably only got the top score because the Gamemakers think she's pretty.

Eventually, Azurette dismisses the prep team, and they run off, squeaking about how handsome I look at the top of their lungs. I resist the urge to slap my hands over my ears and, fully dressed and ready for the interviews, I watch as my stylist comes up to me with a pleasant smile on her face. She can't be over about thirty years old, and she's actually managed to retain some of her natural beauty. That's a shock, since most of the stylists are hideous.

"You look perfect." she looks at me with proud eyes as she looks me up and down. Straightening my shirt a little so the collar doesn't stick up so much, she ruffles my hair slightly. "There, gives you more of a cute look. Are you alright?"

I nod, and she grins, showing her pearly white teeth. They're a tiny bit too bright, like she's brushed them extra hard… She could've had them painted white, or something. I don't know- do they paint people's teeth in the Capitol? That really would be disgusting and unnatural. Why would people want to put paint on their teeth just to look more attractive?

"Fantastic." but then, seeing the slightly dreamy look on my face, she frowns. "Are you sure you're alright, Lykos? You look a little dazed."

Shrugging myself out of my reverie I nod quickly, then shake my head to try and rid my mind of the foxfaced girl. But she's still there, imprinted, with that cautious, frightened look on her face. I wish she wasn't afraid of me. I wish I could tell her that there was nothing to be afraid of, at least not in her case. I'm not going to hurt her.

"Yeah. I was on the roof last night with the girl from District 5." I say offhandedly, and my stylist frowns, tapping her head with one finger. She doesn't look particularly happy.

"Why on earth were you with her?" Azurette asks, confused, and then says, in a sharp voice, "You two… you aren't…"

It takes me a second to realise what she is saying before shaking my head, a little amused. "No. But I like her hair. It's ginger, like a… erm… ginger biscuit." Okay, well done Lykos. Well damn done. I've gone so far without saying something weird, and I compare Marissa's hair to a ginger biscuit? Well damn done. I'm such a genius. KILL ME NOW. Azurette gives me a slightly worried look, before nodding, and taking a strand of my tawny hair between her fingers. She plays with it for a second, then lets it lie.

"Your hair is a light tawny," she says absentmindedly, eyeing it with careful eyes. "It's nicer than ginger."

And with that, she takes my arm and leads me back to the dining room, where Winnow, her stylist, our mentors, and our prep teams are all waiting. We chat for a while, joking and complimenting each other, before heading off downstairs to the ground floor. Outside, in the city circle, a gigantic stage has been set up in front of the Training Centre, with elevated seating and balconies everywhere. It's mostly standing space, so the streets are packed with people. Back at the Community Home in District 4, they will be watching us on the ropey old television they have. Maybe Matron will be watching with the kids, her piggy eyes trained in. She isn't proud, I know that. But it'd be a good boasting point for her if one of the kids from HER orphanage looks good. She'll be going on about how much "pride" she has for the one of us that does better. It's going to be Winnow, with her outgoing flirtatiousness, but I might as well try. What did Finnick say? No attempts at humour? Well, I'm screwed in that case. I can't seem to do anything without a crappy attempt at humour.

All of the other tributes are milling around, waiting for Caesar Flickerman, the host of the interviews, to get started. He's not even onstage yet, and the crowds outside are still chatting excitedly. As I walk around, searching for the mysterious girl from 5, I smash headlong into Marvel who engages me quickly in conversation. I try to get away from him, spotting a glimpse of red hair, but he keeps me talking until he spots Clove and runs off, an excited expression on his handsome face. Searching around a bit longer, I bump into the girl on fire, otherwise known as the girl from 12. God knows what her name is… Cat-pee, wasn't it? Catnoose? CatAndMoose? WHY DOES EVERY TRIBUTE HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH A CAT THIS YEAR?!

"Sorry, 12" I say, and she glares at me. She's actually quite pretty- I can see what the Gamemakers saw in her. Feeling the need to voice this, I say quietly, "So what did you have to do for that eleven, firegirl? You can tell me." She hisses at me (really living up to the name there, Catnoose- that sounds the most sensible name so that is what I will call her). Catnoose gives me a dark look and makes to slip away while I smirk after her. Hopefully that intimidated her- apart from Marissa, I'm not looking to make people outside of the Careers like me. I'm not even sure why I want her to like me, or the Careers… God, I'm confusing myself.

Walking back towards my team, I see Winnow looking at me with amusement in her eyes. I grin back at her, a cruel glint in my eye. "I was just having a little chat with the District 12 girl… Catnoose Evergreen, wasn't her name?"

My sister rolls her eyes, glaring at me, and makes to correct me on "Catnoose's" name, but I hold up my hand to stop her, continuing, "I honestly don't care what firegirl's real name is. I'll call her Catnoose, 12, firegirl, or something a little less family friendly. Okay? Anyway, she bumped into me, and I asked her how she got her training score, and she glared at me and ran away." I finish triumphantly, smiling. Winnow looks at me for a second, like I'm a total idiot, before shifting away from me to flirt with Cato who is looking a little uncomfortable. I can't blame him- my stupid fuck of a sister is getting far too attached. It's not like they're ever going to end up together; he'll probably kill her, when we get into the arena.

I'd applaud if he did.

Finally, I hear the sound of the trumpets signalling the start of the interviews, and Caesar Flickerman goes onstage. He warms up the crowd, and then Glimmer goes on, winking at me as she does. I smile back, but I'm still unsure whether I want to pursue anything with her. I'm unsure of my feelings for Marissa, and for her, and I don't know what's going on because I CAN'T like either of them. They both have to die for me to win… I hate this all. Glimmer's two minutes are up quickly, and then Marvel goes on, then Clove, then Cato, then the kids from District 3, then Winnow. Next it's me- although I don't have stage-fright, because things like this don't scare me, only irritate me. However, it's still a little worrying to know that everybody in the whole of Panem will be watching you. It's an unpleasant feeling, to say the least. I watch as Winnow comes out from the stagedoor, smug faced, and realise that it's my turn. I'm at the front of the line, anyway. Marissa is right behind me, and as I step forward to the door, I hear her whisper something that makes me feel a whole lot braver.

"Good luck."

As I walk onto stage, heart pounding with excitement, I hear the screams and catcalls of the audience and grin and laugh. They're cheering me, cheering my name… Momentarily blinded by the bright lights, I sling an arm over my face to protect my eyes… Then, quickly adjusted, I walk forwards to a chair, sitting opposite Caesar Flickerman, and he smiles widely at me, offering a hand to shake, as he quiets the crowd down.

"Lykos… Lykos Danio, District 4. Part of the Careers district, no less! How are you doing, Lykos?" he says, and I smile and put a hand in my hair, ruffling it up cutely. Finnick taught me well in what to do- but it's what to say that I have to be careful of. If I'm not careful, I'll end up saying something immensely stupid. In front of the whole of Panem. It will not happen. It will not.

"I'm actually doing pretty well, thank you Caesar," I say. Thank God- that sounds sensible! Although my mouth started making words before my brain approved them, as usual, they actually sounded alright. And, more importantly, I haven't embarassed myself yet! YES! "Eaten far too much, but isn't that commonplace?" both Caesar and the audience laughs, so that's a good start. I'm making them laugh. I laugh too, carefully not doing my usual (slightly insane) laugh, which Winnow refers to as a 'witch cackle'. At least mine doesn't sound like a 'donkey sneezing'. Ahem.

"It is rather, it is. So what type of foods have you liked? I've heard you're more of a…" he winks rogueishly at me. "Dessert boy. Is that correct?" the audience laughs again and I smile a little stupidly. How am I going to reply to that without sounding like a glutton?! Alright… Mention the three massive slices of cake I had on the first day and almost made myself sick? Reject… Mention the fact that I ate the entire contents of the sugar bowl in one sitting? Reject… Mention that I had four heaped bowlfuls of chocolate custard? Reject… Okay, what can I say without sounding hugely fat?! Panicking! And the words slip out of my mouth before I can control them.

"Well, I like oranges. But not the skins- the skins taste gross, like the dirty bits of seaweed you throw out. My technique of eating oranges is a lot better than just eating it with the skin…" SHUT UP, LYKOS, SHUT UP! But I can't stop now I've started and my mouth keeps going on as, inside, I can imagine Finnick putting his head in his hands. "Basically," I burst into a patch of nervous giggles. The audience is silent, staring at me with undisguised shock. Even Caesar has a confused look on his face about my outburst. "What you do is, you pierce the skin with your tooth and you suck out the insides; it's kind of like biting a rabbit, or some other small animal, and sucking out it's intestines… But it's good! It really is good! Not like… rabbit intestines… erm…"

Inwardly cursing myself, I watch as Caesar tries to make my nervous outburst into a joke, and actually manages to turn it around, making the audience laugh and applaud my obvious insanity. Mother of God, I'm actually shaking… And I messed up in front of everyone. In front of Matron, in front of everyone back home, in front of Glimmer, Cato, Clove, Marvel, and Winnow and… and in front of the girl from 5. She wished me luck. Did she put a curse on me or something…?

I go back to my usual self after that, and actually manage, for my remaining one and a half minutes, to not mess up at all. And after my… slip-up at the beginning, the audience is loving me again. As my buzzer goes and Caesar wishes me goodnight, with a genuinely warm smile, I am applauded for a long, long time. Maybe sponsors like insane tributes? Apparently so, because the whole Capitol seems to adore me… Well that's fortunate. As I walk offstage, past the girl from 5, she nods at me. Marissa doesn't smile, but the look on her face is enough. A happy glow surrounds me as I make my way back up to floor 4.

That night, the last night before the Hunger Games begin, I go to bed with happy thoughts in my head. Although Finnick screamed at me for about fifteen minutes (not even an exaggeration…) about the whole "oranges" incident, he had to grudgingly congratulate me for the rest of the interview. So I only messed up once, and I actually managed to talk normally. Yes.

And tomorrow I'll be in the Games, with the Careers. What I've been waiting for. Hopefully someone will kill Marissa, just to get her out of my head. It'd be better for me not to be distracted, and I don't want to kill her. I really don't want to kill her, so maybe I'll ask one of the others to do it. There is no way I can afford to show mercy and, anyway, it's likely she'll die anyway. She only got a 5 in training, after all.

XXX

"Lykos, wake up. It's time to go." Opening my eyes blearily, I see that Finnick is leaning over me, with a couple of bread-rolls in his hand. He tosses me both of them and, as I get up and dress quickly, I nibble at them. My heart is beating with excitement- later today, I'll be killing people. Because I'm going to win these Games. The other Careers and I will show no mercy- we will kill until we are surrounded in blood and bodies. Maybe then District 4 won't think I'm such a waste of space.

We go upstairs, onto the roof, and I notice there's a hovercraft there. Many of the other tributes are milling around, being pulled up on a ladder into it one by one. Everyone is avoiding each other's gazes- we'll be in an arena to kill each other soon. It's not pleasant imagining that, in only a few hours, one of these people could be murdering you or you them. In my case, it'll be the latter. Determined not to let Marissa distract me, I stare at the ground. When we are all in the hovercraft, where we have to sit in the same room across from each other, strapped in, I won't be able to avoid her. But that doesn't matter- I'll just avoid her piercing gaze. I will not let those amber eyes take me over again.

Finally, after the girl from 10 goes up, I myself grab onto the ladder and find myself stuck into place my some sort of invisible current. There aren't many of us left to go up: 'Catnoose', Clove, the girl from District 8, the boys from 3 and 11, and Marissa. I am sat down opposite the boy from 7 who gives me a nasty look, and I watch as I am harnessed into the seat. All of the other tributes are harnessed in the same way. 'Catnoose' appears and is sat next to me, and shifts away, glaring at me in dislike. I look back at her with a deadpan expression, until Marissa comes up and sits opposite her and I am forced to look away. I'm sure Marissa senses I looked away because of her because, out of the corner of my eye, I see her giving me a hurt look before she turns and stares at 'Catnoose' with a curious expression in her eyes. I wonder what's in that head of hers. A brain, probably. Well, definitely a brain but… maybe it's a clever… Oh leave me, I'm not smart today.

Exchanging a smirk with Clove, who is sitting on the other side of 'Catnoose', I look back forwards to discover a Capitol woman in a white lab-coat grabbing my arm and pulling it forwards. I move to resist for a moment.

"What-" she brings a huge needle out of her pocket and my eyes widen in alarm as it sinks into my skin. For a second I'm terrified- what the hell is she doing?!- before I realise and sigh with relief. She's putting my tracker in; that's what they always have to do so they can keep sight of all the tributes- the Gamemakers. Otherwise they'd just lose you, and what kind of TV show would they have then?

It stings, nevertheless, and I feel a jolt of pain as she yanks the needle unnecessarily hard from my arm, and moves along to the boy sitting opposite me. After she is done, the lights go off and on again, as I feel us starting to go into the air. We're setting off for the arena. My heart beats even faster and faster with excitement as a smile comes onto my lips. I look around the tributes surrounding me. In a few hours, most of them will be dead. And their blood will be on my hands.


	6. The Arena

**Long one here, which covers their first day and night in the arena. From here the chapters will be getting shorter, I promise :) **

We touch down. The ladder drops down, and one by one we're released from our seats. Our stylists are waiting outside, apparently, to take us down to the Launch Room where we will have our final preparation for the Games. Then, we're going in. I'm so excited I can hardly speak, and as I am set free and go down the ladder down a tube, that leads underground. It takes a while to get down this one, so I suppose we must be going deep under the arena. I wonder what the arena will be like? Hopefully not something to do with deep water- I'll only be scared my father is grabbing at my feet from beyond the grave. Shallow water where I can see the bottom is fine; in fact, any water where I can see the bottom is alright. My swimming should be an asset to me if there's water- I doubt any of the other tributes apart from Winnow will be able to swim. That should be an advantage. I'm a better swimmer than her (like I said, I can swim anywhere I can see the bottom), because I'm longer and more lean. She tends to sink a little more because of her added muscle.

Azurette meets me and takes me along to my own Launch Room, where I take a shower and brush my teeth. There is a smile on my face. So soon… so damn soon… I am helped to dress in the regulation outfit: simple tawny trousers, a black t-shirt, canvas shoes (I think that might be for me since I always seem to be wearing canvas shoes), and a thin, blue hooded jacket with stripes of black going down the arms. Every district has a different coloured jacket- so we can tell each other apart, I guess. Me and Winnow will be dressed exactly the same.

I'm ready to go into the arena, but we have to wait until everyone is ready, apparently. With a smirk, I begin to shake myself down, getting my slightly tense muscles ready for the run ahead. I'm not the fastest runner, but I'm pretty speedy, and my height gives me the added advantage of longer treads. Hopefully, I'll be one of the first to the pile, and I'll get all my knives. My jacket, as I examine it, has several little straps in it for carrying weapons; there are fifteen there. Hopefully, I'll be able to get fifteen assorted knives. As a Career, after we wipe most of the other tributes out in the Bloodbath, we get to split the spoils there. There'll be food, water, and plenty of random supplies. Shaking myself down, I pull my shoulders back and shake my hair out of my face. Azurette hands me a hair-tie, silently, and I accept it, wrapping it around my wrist. Although I like my hair down, and it doesn't usually get in the way, it could be useful to have, just in case.

A pleasant female voice announces it's time for launch and I smile slyly, narrowing my eyes. Now it's time. The Capitol people must be beside themselves; it's almost time for the countdown from sixty. Then, at long last, the Games will begin. And I can't wait. I practically sprint over to the small metal plate in the corner and stand on it, eagerly waiting for the tube to come around me and for me to go up to the surface… I smile excitedly at Azurette who laughs.

"You're excited," she says, and shakes her head. "Since I got moved to a Career district, I realised that not all of you are scared to go into the Games. Good luck…" my stylist comes and hugs me for a moment, and I embrace her back. She kisses my cheek, then ruffles my hair like a proud parent. Then, she winks. "Don't step off the plate before the countdown finishes. They say cats have nine lives, but being blown to bits will probably use up quite a few of them."

And then, a glass cylinder raises around me, and I press one hand against the glass with a look of joy on my face. Waving goodbye to my stylist who looks a little tearful, I step back and the cylinder begins to rise with me inside it. For about fifteen seconds I'm engulfed in pitch black, and then I can feel the metal plate pushing me out of the cylinder and into the air. For a moment, my eyes are dazzled by the brightness and a strong wind blows my hair out of my face. There is the smell of some sort of tree… It's smells woody at least. Twisting my head around, I notice a thick forest circling us, with two breaks in the trees: there is one small one that, if you look down, leads to a wheat field. On the other side, there is a much longer gap with a huge lake with clear water. Fantastic! I'll be able to swim in it, then, at least currently. Depending on the weather it might go darker, but that doesn't matter. Winnow, who can also swim, has no problem going in water where you can't see the bottom.

Sixty seconds we must stand on our plates, before we run to the Cornucopia- an immense golden horn, shaped in a cone like way, where all the supplies are. Packs, weapons, and food are piled up in it's mouth; to get things, you must run in. Some of the tributes look nervous; I exchange a cocky smile with Marvel who grins widely at me. Then, I hear the voice of the Hunger Games announcer, Claudius Templesmith, as he says in a ringing voice, hugely amplified so we could hear it all around the arena:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, let the 74th Annual Hunger Games begin!"

The countdown begins, and I quickly assess my surroundings. We're in a large clearing, with perfectly green grass. On the right of me, I see the girl from District 10. On my left is the boy from District 12, I think he was called Peeper or something. I don't know, I haven't exactly been observant on the tributes from District 12's names. Peeper Millork and Catnoose Evergreen don't sound like the most normal names. Or maybe Distict 12 just has odd naming customs? I don't know and I don't care.

For a few seconds, as the countdown begins, I search for Marissa's telltale red-hair amongst the tributes, but I can't see her. However, the Cornucopia obstructs my view of at least half the tributes, so she must be over on the other side, on the wheat field side. It's only after craning my head around for a bit that I remember I don't care about her. Making myself stand still, I get into running position. Right ahead of me, I can see a pack of many assorted knives… All mine. And next to it is a sword; I'll use that too. There's no need for me to try and get a pack, since us Careers will be splitting all the food later. All I need to worry about now is weapons.

10… 9… 8… I catch a glimpse of red hair and whip around excitedly, but it's only the girl from District 8 who has her eyes set on a pack just in front of her. She'll get away, the District 8 tributes usually do, with their fierce attitudes. But we'll hunt her down tonight. 7… 6… 5… Marvel is still smirking at me; all of the other Careers must be on the other side of the Cornucopia, because out of all of us, I can only see him. Poor tributes on the other side- they're a bit screwed. 4… 3… 2… These knives are mine! My heart is pounding so fast that I can barely breathe, and there is a crazed smile on my face as I ready myself to run. 1…

The starting horn goes off, and I sprint towards the knives and the sword. The Games have begun! Grabbing the sword in my right hand and my knives in my left, I swerve around, looking for someone to kill. The girl from 10! She's still running, trying to get a pack near the mouth of the Cornucopia… I sprint towards her and she screams as she sees me; stabbing forward with my sword, I stab right through her gut. The girl screams out, and I hear answering screams all around, as her life's blood begins to drain from her stomach… Eyes widening as I grin at her, bloodthirsty, mad, she falls to the ground, dead. Whipping around, I throw one of my knives at the boy from 6, who is fighting over a pack with the girl from 8.

The knife hits him right in the neck and he yells out, as he coughs blood onto the girl from 8's face. She cries out, as the stuff drips down her face and I leer, throwing a knife in her direction. But she dodges just in the nick of time- it slices her forehead but misses anywhere important. As she runs off into the woods I move to pursue her, but then I feel hands on my back, whipping me around. It's the boy from 7! He's huge, and has a scythe in one hand and a pack in the other. I move to stab him with the sword, but he blocks and smashes me hard in the head with his pack.

Falling back a little, panting as I feel a little blood dribble from my nose at the force of the blow, I throw myself forwards he blocks again, and we begin to fight in earnest now. He lunges, scythe pointed straight at my stomach, and for a moment I think I'm dead before I duck out of the way, and slice with my knife, ripping a line of gore across his face. He shrieks out and I laugh maniacally, and lifting my sword up high, I stab him through the chest. Pulling the sword out quickly, I whirl it around, blood from the boy from 7 spraying everywhere, and almost decapitate the girl from 9 who screams, leaping backwards. For a second I think it's Marissa, because of the red hair, but recognising the girl from 9 I run off to find her. Behind me, I hear the sound of the girl from 9's death scream, as a knife from Clove hits her in the face

She's running into the woods, a pack on her back.

I'm not sure whether to be relieved or angry, but I take out whatever emotion I might have by throwing a knife at the girl from 3 who collapses, gurgling. She halves her remaining life by pulling the knife out of her neck, and slowly drowns in her own blood as the red stuff bubbles out of her nose and lips. Smirking I run over to her and yank my knife from her shaking hand, kicking her backwards and successfully ending her life as I see the life drain out of her. Turning around, I see the boy from 6 standing up shakily, my knife still in his neck, and then falls back over, dead this time, after a knife from Clove. I let out a laugh as most of the remaining tributes run from the Cornucopia; not many left. Not too many left. There's me, Winnow, Cato, Clove, Marvel, Glimmer, the girls from 6 and 7, the boy from 5, and the boy from 12. Glimmer, Cato and Marvel are going through supplies; Clove, Winnow and I are left to take out the remaining tributes. I watch as Winnow jumps on the girl from 7 and begins to throttle her brutally- her face turns blue as Winnow squeezes, straddling the girl's waist. Clove tosses a knife offhandedly at the girl from 7, who dies the second it hits her in the neck, and goes over with them to sort through supplies. The boy from 5 is on the ground bleeding from the abdomen, a look of pain and horror on his face. I swagger over to him, a cruel smile on my face. Tossing the sword to one side, it sinks itself in one of the other tributes corpse's and the boy from 5 gasps in horror.

Looking down at him with slight pity, I throw a knife directly into his face. It slices through his nose, and a shower of blood spits over his face as he yelps in agony. I threw my knife lightly- he's not going to die quite yet. Kneeling down, I extract the knife from his nose, ripping the skin painfully as I do so, and look down at him.

"You're…" he struggles to get the words out as he looks at me with fear in his eyes. "You're fucking crazy… Please… Just end it…"

Giving him a sadistic look, I play with the still bloody knife in my hands, staring down at him. There's blood coming in sheets from his abdomen- he'll die from bloodloss soon. Should I just let the poor guy die? No, no I shouldn't. This is the Hunger Games- I'm here to kill people for the audience's amusement, not just let people live. The crowd want to see blood… Where's the boy from District 12? Turning around, I see Cato talking to him- intimidating him apparently. He has his hands in the air and is talking fast. I wonder what Peeper wants?

Uncaring, I turn to look at the District 5 boy with a look of distaste. I see Clove looking at me with some amusement.

"Mind if I finish what I started?" she says sweetly and I laugh, moving out of the way as she goes down on the boy from 5, slitting his throat. I laugh and, together, we turn around to see the others surrounding the boy from 12. He's talking and they're all laughing at him, and mocking him. What's he trying to do- talk his way out of getting killed? I scoop up some of the knives I left behind on the way, and put them in my jacket, still bloody. Might as well show off my kills, right?

"…I can take you to her, the girl from my district… you want her, right?"

What a damn coward! Although I want to get 'Catnoose' as much as the rest of them, I can't help but find that a little disgusting. So he's just going to give up his district partner, just for that? I didn't watch the replays of the interviews, but I heard Finnick mention something, this morning, about the lovers from District 12… So they're lovers, are they? What a foul little asshole! Marissa isn't even my lover and I'd never just give her up like that! However… he can lead us to firegirl, can he? Now that… that makes up for him being a little sneak.

"So you can lead us to Katniss?" says Cato clearly. Oh, so she's called Katniss! Duh! Catnoose, what a dumb name. Katniss isn't a normal name either, but who the hell would call their child Catnoose? Hmm… I may continue not calling her Katniss, simply because I've grown used to calling her Catnoose Evergreen. If someone asks, I'll just pretend that's how it's actually pronounced and the whole of Panem, apart from myself, has been getting it wrong… Maybe I'll just refer to her as firegirl from now on. Simply so I don't appear so… erm… insane.

"Yeah. I know her better than any of you guys too- I can recognise her tracks. Traps she leaves behind, that sort of thing." he says a little frantically. The others are looking at each other, as if agreeing, but I personally feel sceptical. If what Finnick said was true, and this boy was really going out with firegirl… Why would he rat her out like that? Things don't quite add up here. Giving him a suspicious look, I step in front of Cato to look him right in the eyes. Although Cato is clearly the leader of our pack, he hasn't seem to realise something is strange here.

"I thought she was your little girlfriend," I say in a quiet voice, staring straight into those all too innocent blue eyes of his. They betray nothing- so he's going to put up a fight is he? The others step back, watching me as I circle him, keeping my eyes trained in. He doesn't move an inch, but I spot a muscle twitching in his jaw. He's hiding something, I'm certain of it. "Betraying your little girlfriend, are you? Or was that all a lie to get sponsors?" Marvel and Glimmer look a little confused, and Winnow is frowning at me. Cato and Clove, however, have their eyes trained in on the boy from 12 too. They sense something wrong with this deal, just like I do. They're smart. A real threat- unlike Marvel, Glimmer, and my sister.

But the boy from 12 still isn't talking. Eventually, I end up in front of him with a dark smile on my face. "So what've you got to say, 12? Not her loverboy anymore?"

"I never said I loved her," he says quietly, after a long pause. My eyelids lower and I look at him with hard eyes. To be fair, I don't know that what Finnick said was totally true. He could've been exaggerating… And anyway, whatever their plan is, with us Careers verses him and firegirl… We'd win whatever happened. "I just said I had a crush on her since I was a little kid. And this is the Hunger Games. Twenty four goes in, only one comes out, right?" he says, with the weak attempt at a laugh. For a second I stare at him a little more, then I step backwards, bowing my head.

"Cato?" I say, relying on the boy from 2's leadership. Cato looks around at all of us, then back at the boy from 12. After a few seconds of him thinking, he says eventually,

"Alright then…" Cato grins, and then says in a mocking tone, "Loverboy."

We all burst out laughing at my word for him, but Cato continues, hushing down our laughter. He's the alpha of the pack, Clove's the beta, and the rest of us are the underlings. But that doesn't matter; everybody loves an underdog, right? And loverboy? He's the omega, the lowest of the low. He's only with us temporarily, and once we've got firegirl… We'll kill him too. They can be the Romeo and Juliet of the games… but these two don't commit suicide, oh no. They're tortured to death over a matter of hours. They'll be unrecognisable once we're done with them, and neither of them will be so pretty anymore.

"You can join our pack," Cato continues. "Just for a while. Just for a while." he turns to all of us, and then looks at the Cornucopia behind us; packs have been taken, but the majority of the food and supplies are still there. Good- the Bloodbath has made me thirsty, and I wouldn't mind some food, either. "Let's go and sort out this food," the boy from 2 says gruffly, waving an arm at the supplies surrounding the mouth of the Cornucopia. "Split the supplies, get weapons if you need them, then we'll set up a camp."

And we do as he says- going over to the stuff, we pick a pack each- I am sent down to the lake with all the water bottles and a bottle of iodine to collect water, while the others start up a camp. I purify the water, like the label on the iodine tells me to, and then head back up to the camp where several sleeping bags have been set up around an already blazing fire. The others are collecting the supplies and putting them inside the Cornucopia, where we can protect them better. Emptying my pack on the ground, I sort through my supplies- a full water bottle, a bottle of iodine, a box of matches, a sleeping bag, some fingerless gloves (oh great, what am I going to use them for?!), a pack of dried fruit, and a small loaf of bread. Not an amazing haul, but I've got the supplies pile now in the Cornucopia to rely on. I don't need any of the food in my pack, so I throw it all on the pile and pull my fingerless gloves on as we all move away from the Cornucopia and over to our camp, about 100 metres away. Hovercrafts come and collect the bodies, and we sit and watch, interested. Then, sitting around the fire, we warm our hands on the crackling flames.

I learn that the boy from 12's name is actually Peeta Mellark (Peeper Mellick wasn't too bad a guess, it seems), and we sit and eat and drink for a while, boasting about our various kills. As the death recap hasn't come yet (where they show all the faces of the dead tributes) we don't know how many there are left, and who is left to kill. Nobody bothered to look through the bodies and, anyway, what would be the point? None of us knew every single tribute just from looking at them, and we might have forgotten some… Who cares. We'll find out who's left to kill tonight, and go and get them.

As the others continue chatting, I go over to the mountain of supplies and sort through until I find a flashlight- useful, if we're going to be hunting in the night. We'll be able to see where we're going, rather than just stumble about in the darkness. As I suspected, Glimmer seems to have moved on from me to Cato, and is now practically hanging off his arm while Winnow gives her dirty looks. I'd like to say I actually care that Glimmer isn't pursuing me anymore, but I honestly don't. It was alright while it lasted but it wasn't going to last. And anyway, I don't want her. I don't know what I want right now, because it's impossible that I could like Marissa. She's just some red-haired idiot who'll probably die tonight, once we go hunting, and I'll be powerless to stop the others if we find her. Why can't I stop worrying?

But I don't want her to die.

Keeping to myself, I grab a stick from the floor and begin to whittle it with one of my knives, until there is nothing left of it. With a particularly vicious swipe, I catch my finger, and cut it. A stab of pain runs through me and I suck it as the blood begins to blossom out. The familiar, almost metallic taste of blood fills my mouth as I suck my own blood off. I notice that I rather like the taste, before starting a conversation with Clove. Cato decides (without asking the rest of us, I might add), that we're going to go hunting tonight. Until then, we're going to have a meal so we're full for our meals tonight. Grimly, staring into the flames, Cato tears at pieces of meat from the pile, while the rest of us eat whatever else we can find. Eventually, late afternoon comes, and I hear all of the cannons going off from earlier. Grinning at the others, I hear as Marvel counts them all out.

"One… two… three… four…" he keeps going, until we hear ten are down. Ten! Not fantastic, but alright… We'll see who we killed, later, and claim them. Although I didn't finish off all the tributes I started killing, it'll be nice to know I started them. Not sure how many I actually killed- but I did well, I know that. We sit for a while, idly chatting and laughing at the tributes we killed, before it begins to grow dark and Winnow suggests we get going and start hunting the other tributes. We arm ourselves to the teeth, and walk into the woods in a big group: Cato at the front, hacking at stray branches with his sword, Winnow and Glimmer behind him, watching his muscles ripple with adoring eyes, Marvel and Peeta, then me and Clove at the back. I'm actually starting to rather like Clove- she's ruthless and sadistic, sure, but so am I. She's nice, in a slightly morbid way, and reminds me of myself.

However, as we walk through the dark woods with our torches and flashlights splashing light around, I can't help but feel uneasy. What if we find Marissa…? Oh for Gods sake, I need to stop thinking about her! She's nothing to me, Goddamit it!

We stop, after an hour or so of walking, and sit and rest while the death recap comes up on the sky. The seal of the Capitol appears, and the Panem anthem plays as they prepare to show the headshots of the dead tributes. We ready ourselves to claim each one that we killed, and as the faces come up we do so; screaming out the ones we killed, arguing over the deaths that could have been caused by any one of us, and joyously complimenting each other on taking down a tougher tribute. Eventually, when they're all gone, we join in a circle with loverboy a little way out. He stayed silent, allthroughout the recap, and doesn't look particularly happy. We count off the tributes that're left, trying to remember.

"Okay," says Marvel, thinking hard with his black eyes rolled slightly back in his head. "So the girl from 3… that means that little weed of a boy from 3 is still around somewhere." he looks for confirmation from Cato, who he seems to adore just as much as the girls, who nods, slowly. "Who else… The boy from 5." Clove and I smirk at each other at our parts in his death. "And… um…"

"Both from six and seven," says Winnow impatiently, flicking her dark hair out of her eyes. Marvel pulls a sheepish face and sits back, head on his knees, to let the rest of us do the work. "The boy from 8… so the girl from 8 is still wandering around somewhere in the dark. We'll find her. And-"

"And ginger." says Cato darkly, giving me a nasty smirk. The others laugh, and I realise all eyes are on me. Looking around, I see the mocking expressions on their faces- I guess I must've made my liking for Marissa a little bit too clear. Maybe that's why Glimmer ditched me for Cato… who knows? Searching around for some kinder eyes, I find Peeta who is looking at me with sympathy. For a second, I stare at him, before pulling a face and putting my head on my knees. I don't want them talking about Marissa- I'll probably never see her again. But she does intrigue me; I thought she was going to die in the Bloodbath and put my mind at rest. But no- now I've got to worry about her for the rest of the Games. Oh great. "D'you miss your little girlfriend, Lykos?" the blond boy says, raising his eyebrows at me. The girls giggle, and Marvel sniffs. Peeta is still silent. Cato, sensing my gaze on the boy, laughs and pulls Peeta into the circle a little more. "Hey, you two lover boys should be friends."

They laugh some more, and then we get up to go and hunt. By this point I'm seething- I hate Cato. None of the others would've brought that back, but he just had to, didn't he? He loves exercising his control over me, and I don't know why. Do I seem more rebellious against his "rule" than the others? I don't think so. Maybe he's jealous that people actually like me, who knows? No, he's got his little gang. As much as I quite like Clove, the others are dispensible. Even she is dispensible, when it comes down to it. When I look at these people in front of me, I don't see friends. I merely see stepping stones on my path to being victorious.

"Both from 9, the girl from 10…" Clove says to me, as we take our normal place at the back. She gives me a cruel look. "So that means both from 11 and 12 and the boy from 10 are still alive. Funny, usually people like them-" she nods her head at Peeta in front of us. "Die first. The outer districts must be getting lucky." I laugh, as we trudge along, shining our flashlights around. We're all hungry for a kill, still hungry with bloodlust after the Bloodbath earlier today. It was my first time killing people and, truly, I don't feel bad about it. It really felt no different than "killing" a training dummy. Who cares if those people have families? That just makes me even more thirsty for revenge- they have families and I don't. See what I mean?

After combing the woods for a few hours we find nothing and, irritated, I feel like bursting out that we should just head back to camp. I wish someone other than Cato was in charge- it's not like he even got the highest training score. Clove got the same as him, and she's smarter and more deadly. He's just a meatheaded pretty-boy who's reasonably good at hitting stuff with swords. Me? I'm a crazy pretty-boy who is VERY good at hitting things with knives. I could never be in charge, I'm more a follower than a leader, but I'd prefer for someone slightly less dumb to be in charge. We're literally stomping through the woods- every tribute with reasonable hearing within a mile can hear us. I'm about to suggest that we turn the lights off and try moving more quietly, when Cato stops abruptly, holding his arms out. Glimmer smashes straight into him with a low cry and he grabs her, slamming a hand over her mouth. His ears are pricked up and his eyes are searching the darkness. The rest of us halt wearily, wondering if he's finally cracked.

"Cato-" Marvel says impatiently, but Cato drops Glimmer (she falls to the floor but stays silent) and gets right in the boy from 1's face. Marvel gulps, looking anywhere but in Cato's deadly eyes.

"Shut up. I can hear something." then, he says to the group at large, "Turn your flashlights off and follow me. Make a sound, and I'll gut you, understand?"

He really does make me angry, thinking he can take us out that easily, but the natural authority in his hushed voice makes us all obey. Switching the flashlights off we creep after him in the dark, carefully avoiding anything that could make a noise. The moon lights our path reasonably well, and Cato seems to have the power to let him see in the dark, or something. Strange boy. And then, I see what he sees, and I have to clasp a hand over my mouth to stop me shouting out in glee. About 100 metres away, there's a fire. A small fire that some fool, some total fool, decided to light up. That's practically inviting us to go and kill them, whoever they are! A burst of fear fills me- what if it's Marissa? I remind myself that I have to be strong. Even if it is her, there is nothing I can do. It's her own fault if she was stupid enough to light a fire.

We travel at a quiet run until I feel a jolt of sickness in my stomach as I catch a glimpse of red hair. Oh God. Marissa… But then, as we get closer, I see that it's not Marissa. It's the other red-haired girl, from District 8, and I can see the wound on her forehead from where I threw my knife and it just missed her. She's a speedy one, so she might run… we'll have to be quiet. Who'll kill her, I wonder? Probably Cato- he'll claim her as his own since he was the one who first spotted her. I'm just joyous we've found anyone, after tramping through the forest so damn loudly.

And soon we're right by her, in the shadows. She's got her back to us, and still hasn't spotted us- she looks absolutely freezing. Poor girl; maybe it'll be warmer in the afterlife. I'd like to hope so. Cato moves to stab her, but Glimmer grabs him by the arm and pouts. He smirks, and hands her his sword, as I flick the flashlight on. Turning around, absolute terror in her eyes, she stares around at all of us. We're surrounding her now. She has nowhere to run. She stares at me pleadingly, but there is no pity in my eyes.

"Goodnight, 8." says Glimmer teasingly. Then, the girl from 8 screams at the top of her lungs, tears running down her face as she scrambles backwards into my legs. I kick her away, aiming at her head, and she tries to get out of the circle again, diving at the gap between me and Marvel. But Glimmer slashes hard, and with another great scream, the girl falls to the floor with blood streaming from the wound on her back. Spread-eagled, her hair splashed around her head, she whimpers quietly. Glimmer, a pleased look on her face, moves to stab the girl again and end her life, but Cato grabs her hand and restrains her.

"No. She can bleed to death. You cut her right. It'll be a few minutes… don't waste your time." he says, and she shrugs, and hands him back the sword. So we're not going to kill her, we're just going to leave her there? But what if she doesn't die? Maybe some generous sponsor will leave her a gift of some, crazy Capitol medicine that'll heal her? Why don't we just kill her?!

However we move on, because I'm too cowardly to voice my opinion. But I can't help but look behind us at her, pitying her. Bleeding to death like that's a nasty way to go- although I've got no problem with killing people quickly, I don't like prolonging deaths unless people deserve it. Firegirl, for example, I'm going to enjoy killing. But leaving that girl like that, that girl who I respected for her lack of fear… And she died squealing like a pig. Pathetic end to go; why didn't she just take the sword like a warrior would? Maybe I overestimated her. After we walk for about two minutes, we come to a clearing and stop. We still haven't heard a cannon- so apparently she didn't die as fast as Cato reckoned she would. Honestly, I can't help but feel a twinge of pride at that. He didn't get something right for once.

"Shouldn't we have heard a cannon by now?" Marvel says, clearly thinking the same thing as me. He leans against a tree and yawns, ruffling up his brown hair. He's just as bored as I am, but he's making it more obvious. A look of irritation appears on Cato's face at the questioning of his judgement and he growls, walking over to Marvel aggressively, but then Clove says, impatiently,

"I'd say yes. Nothing to prevent them going in immediately."

Our "alpha", clearly overruled, scowls like a spoilt-child. He stands with his shoulders squared, a dark look on his face. "She'd dead. Glimmer stabbed her, didn't she?" Rolling my eyes at Cato's obvious ignorance, I make to open my mouth and disagree with him, but Marvel, clearly in a rebellious mood, beats me to it.

"Then where's the cannon?"

"Someone should go back," Winnow agrees, clearly looking conflicted at disagreeing with her beloved Cato. "Make sure the job's done."

"Yeah," I agree, picking at my fingernails. There's still dried blood under them from I'm not sure when. "We don't want to have to track her down twice."

Cato lets out a low hiss and starts towards me, raising a hand threateningly as if to hit me. I don't know if he's trying to scare me, or something, but my fear of him actually evaporates. He scared me more when he was silent, not talking in his imbecilic way. He's so sure of himself that when people start to doubt him, he gets violent. Aww, diddums. Stupid asshole- nobody is scared of him anymore. Of course he's going to hit me… of course he is… if he lays a finger on me, I'll stab him until he dies. Nobody has any love for him, apart from my sister, and she has to pretend she loves me, doesn't she? Maybe she'll give up our little facade if I hurt "cat-boy".

"I said she's dead!" he says, right in my face, with his piercing blue eyes staring straight into my own green ones. I stare right back at him, uncaring of his threats. What's he going to do, with all of us against him? Maybe he'll have Winnow and Glimmer, his little groupies, but me, Marvel and Clove could beat them easily.

"Yeah we heard you the first time- but what we're saying is, if she's dead, then where's the cannon?" Marvel says slowly, practically spelling it out for him. Cato whips around to face him and starts threatening him instead. Marvel, like me, seems fed up of his "threats", because he just looks down at him with raised eyebrows. It's pathetic. We share a look over Cato's head, and the boy from 1 rolls his eyes at me. Cato's still hissing at him, and it's starting to get pathetic. We break out into a full-out argument: me and Marvel verses Glimmer and Cato, with Winnow and Clove staying on the sidelines. Eventually Peeta, fed up, bursts out,

"We're wasting time! I'll go finish her, and let's move on!"

Our argument paused by his outburst, we all stare at him. Who does he think he is? But eventually, after a few minutes of silence, Cato lets out a humourless laugh.

"Go on then, loverboy. See for yourself. We'll be here."

And he limps off into the woods, back in the direction where the District 8 girl now lies. I throw him my flashlight and he catches it gratefully, turning it on, before disappearing into the foliage. We wait until he's out of earshot, before beginning to talk amongst ourselves again. Apparently, the others are just as sceptical about Peeta as me, and we talk in quiet voices, lounging about the clearing. Our argument only seconds ago seems to be forgotten, because we're all getting along normally again. Glimmer is hanging off my arm- apparently she's abandoned Cato. I can tell that she's going to be skipping between us for as long as we're both alive. She seems to see more in him and me than Marvel and Peeta.

Clove begins our conversation by saying in a voice scarcely louder than a whisper, "Why don't we kill him now and get it over with?" she sounds almost whiny, like she's asking why she can't have her favourite toy. Knowing Clove, she can't wait to kill him just so she can torture him in her sadistic way. She's fantastic. I make to agree with her, but Marvel cuts me off again.

"Let him tag along. What's the harm? And he's handy with that knife." Always the voice of peace, Marvel. The rest of us are reasonably bloodthirsty, but he actually seems like a reasonably nice kid. But he has to ruin it by saying, in a nasty voice, "Besides, he's our best chance of finding her."

Firegirl. Maybe Peeta can trick 'Catnoose' into allying with him and then we burst in and kill her? Probably kill him too- after she's dead, we've got no more use for him. Don't have much use for him now, but apparently some of the others like having him around. I don't see why, considering how generally useless he is, but I don't have much of a say. Mostly it's Cato who makes decision and we have to like them.

"Why? Do you think she actually bought into that sappy romance stuff?" whines Clove, and I notice that she's playing with one of her knives, weaving it in between her fingers. She's even better than I am with them, and it's almost like watching a magician as I watch her wind them in her hands. Winnow laughs in her annoying way, and says in a mocking voice,

"She might've. Seemed pretty simple minded to me. Every time I think about her spinning around in that dress, I want to puke."

We all laugh, and Glimmer scowls, pouting her full lips. I think she was pretty jealous of firegirl's dress, but I'm never going to voice that. She'd kill me; although in most situations I'd be able to take her down with ease, insulting Glimmer's fashion sense or mocking her because of it… Death occurs… I sigh, shaking my head, bemused.

"Wish we knew how she got that 11." I say. If we knew how she got her score, maybe we'd have more of a chance of beating her. As she's vaguely mysterious weapon-wise, we don't know what to expect from her. Glimmer smirks, her head still on my shoulder.

"Bet you Lover Boy knows." she whispers, and we all look into the patch of woods into which he disappeared. After a few moments, we hear the sound of him returning and quiet down. The second he appears from inbetween the trees, Cato steps forwards, a demanding look on his face.

"Was she dead?" he asks brutally, stepping even closer. Peeta flinches away and his arms twitch, as if ready to defend himself, but then says in a quiet voice,

"No. But she is now." and just like that, a cannon sounds with a loud boom. "Ready to move on?


	7. Fox Hunt

**You guys wanna see a bit of Lyove (Lykos/Clove)? You want to see more Lykissa (Lykos/Marissa) actual action? There will be some, but you want it soon? Let me know in a review :D **

We trudge back to camp in the early morning. It truly is the early morning- about 6am, and there are pink streaks going across the sky. It's making out to be a beautiful day- almost ironically. This place, this lush forest full of rivers and animals, is being used as, basically, a deathcamp. Oops, better not say that out-loud… Gladiatorial arena is what I should be calling it, if I don't want to die in a way very reminiscent of a death-camp. I wonder if they execute Victors for things they said or did in the Games? Hopefully not; if some of my thoughts come out of my mouth, I'm screwed. So, in this place where cameras are everywhere, I must be very careful. Because if I say a thing the Gamemakers don't like, I'm an easy kill to make. With the press of a button, I could be buried under an avalanche of snow, or burning in a great inferno, or being ravaged by wolves… God.

Although we're pleased from the kill we made, I can't help but feel a slight twinge of disappointment. In a whole night we only made one kill, and there are six of us. I would've hoped for at least three, so we could get down to the real, exciting Games as quickly as possible: the Careers, the true fighters, brawling it out for Victorship. And I will win- although I couldn't take Cato or Clove in simple combat, I'm faster than both of them, and I can swim. Can they? If I could get to the water… But my phobia of water where I can't see the bottom could hinder that. Cursing my stupid, childish fear, I trudge along at the back, as Clove pulls ahead of me to chat to Glimmer. Listening to them talk, at least, is amusing. Such different tastes! They don't get along, Clove is too surly and bitter and Glimmer is too ditzy and girlish- but that's probably the best part. Listening to them bicker constantly is actually quite amusing.

Speeding up, I walk beside Winnow who gives me a slightly confused look for a second, before I nudge her and she remembers the little ploy we have going on. We talk in low voices, heads close together- the other Careers can't hear us and I think that might be unnerving them a little. Cato, especially, keeps turning from the front to give us dirty looks. We aren't talking of anything consequential, of course, but it makes us look more threatening if the others think we are. I suppose Winnow's liking for Cato only goes so far.

"So you and Cato, eh?" I chuckle, and Winnow hits me in a way that appears goodnatured. However, I feel the real sting behind the blow and grin, rubbing the sore spot on my arm. "Ouch. Tough love." she bares her teeth in a smile that must look real, but I can see the true venom behind it. I'm milking this opportunity for all I'm worth- being able to take the piss out of my sister and her not being able to do anything about it. It's great.

"Shut up," my sister replies good-naturedly, twisting her knife around her fingers in a way that, to me, looks distinctly threatening. Her sword is tucked into her belt and my eyes go to it. At close distance, I'm pretty screwed aren't I? I could take on someone smaller than me, and maybe Marvel, but wrestling with Cato would guarantee me a gravestone. His right arm is larger than my entire body. "What about that girl from 5, eh? Foxface." a smug smirk comes onto her face, and I frown. Foxface? What's with that? A little bit uncalled for, especially since she's never actually talked to "Foxface".

"Her name's Marissa." I shoot back, and when it comes, I realise my voice has an angry tone to it. Embarrassed by my speed at defending her, I look away at the ground and feel my face burning. I wish I hadn't said it now- if only I'd just let Winnow talk. Truly, I don't want the Capitol people thinking I'm in love with Marissa- that would make me look weak. Almost as weak as lover boy looks.

My sister snorts derisively and spits on the ground, shaking her head at me. Although it was her idea to play up the "loving brother and sister" thing, she's not doing a fantastic job. In fact, she's doing a crap job- she's the one making fun of my slight interest in the girl from District 5. Slight interest.

"If you say so, Lykos." she says eventually, sighing, and moves on ahead to make eyes at Cato while I walk alone. Clove has moved away from Glimmer now, a disgusted look on her face, and Marvel is walking by her side. Peeta is at the back, on his own, with a look of misery in his face. Seeing me glance at him, he looks up and tries to make eye-contact, but I shift my head away. There's no way I'm getting friendly with loverly.

We make it back to camp just as day truly breaks, and check through all of our supplies. Nothing noticeable is gone, so we settle down in our sleeping bags and try to sleep. Clove volunteers to take the first watch- I'm jealous of her. I'm really not tired- in fact I'm totally alert. However, when I offer to take her place, she shakes her head at me. Settling herself down with her knives still in hand, she places her water bottle beside her and watches the woods. Glimmer, who has switched back to Cato, is lying with him in his sleeping bag- they're squished up in it together. Gross. Marvel jokingly offers Winnow a place in his own sleeping bag, but she hisses at him and he raises his eyebrows. However, he falls asleep the second his head hits the ground. Winnow takes a little longer, she tosses around for a few minutes before she dozes off, and Cato and Glimmer take forever, mumbling to each other.

I try to sleep, but Glimmer and Cato's mutterings, and the daylight, keeps me awake. Not sure why, but I've never been able to sleep in direct sunlight. Maybe the fact that the girl from District 1 so blatantly doesn't want me hurts me a little- she prefers to sleep with Cato, that hulking monster, than myself. I'm not jealous, I don't have romantic feelings for Glimmer, but it was nice to know she likes me. Now I see it was just her being a whore and me being the first taker. It occurs to me, that I really hate the boy from 2. With his good looks, muscles, and leadership of the group, I can't help but feel envious of him. Although he is particularly stupid and obnoxious… Maybe I could live without being him. Definitely could.

After what feels like hours of me lying awake, I notice a shadow over me. My eyes flicker open quickly and my hands go to the knives concealed inside my coat… but looking up, I see Clove standing over me, her young face looking down at me with some kind of curiosity. We stare at each other for a second, still- she's been caught in the act, thinking I was asleep, and I've semi been caught in the act too… Pretending to be asleep. Erm… What to say in this situation? Oh God, I'm going to say something weird again, Oh God, Oh God, Oh God…

"Hey, Clove." I say eventually, smiling weakly. She's still looking at me with a slightly alarmed expression and, sitting up, I stand to face her. She looks up at me with her freckled face unreadable. For a second I feel a little awkward, before scratching the back of my head with my hand and shrugging, "Can't sleep."

For a few more seconds she watches me, before a small smile appears on her thin lips. She looks around at the others who are all still asleep: Peeta, Cato, Glimmer, and Marvel, all in their sleeping bags, breathing deeply. It occurs to me that the two of us could easily kill all of them, right now, and be done with it. But then again, wouldn't we stand a better chance as the Career Pack? Looking at her, I glance into her dark eyes and see the exact same thoughts going through her mind. She looks at me and purses her lips.

"Should we?" Clove says quietly, and I notice her eyes linger particularly on Cato as she says it. Perhaps they knew each other before the Games- perhaps they were friends. No, I doubt it- so far, she's acted like she detests him since the beginning. She gives me another, slightly sour look. Then, she sighs. "No. Not now."

She goes back and sits down, staring at the woods. It occurs to me that I am no longer afraid of this girl- she seems to see me as the most promising as an ally. When she did not speak to me, then I was afraid of her, because she was an unknown threat. Now, I know her tactics. But I do not, particularly, know her. And that bothers me a little- I don't know any of the other Careers' surnames or… well… ANYTHING about their homeliness. Weird, that we are unconditionally forced together although we may not like each other. Aside from Winnow. I know her backstory well as I, myself, share a great deal of it. She will be any easy one to kill, because I know all of her quirks. I know almost everything about her. From Winnow, I have nothing to fear.

Walking over to Clove, I stand beside her form and stare into the woods.

"Firegirl's out there somewhere…" I say quietly, and she nods. A look of pure hatred comes onto her features as she stares into the trees, her dark, pitiless eyes searching for Katniss among the trees. I wonder what firegirl's doing? I hope she's in a lot of pain, wherever she is. "She's probably out there somewhere setting herself on fire," I say conversationally, as usual not realising the weirdness of the statement until Clove gives me a sideways look. Oh God. I've finally managed to say something stupid in front of one of my allies. There's a half smile on the girl's face, as she looks at me. Feeling the need to explain myself, I continue, rambling on as usual, "Well, because she's the girl on FIRE, like flames, she might be setting herself on fire… with… um… matches, for a publicity… um… stunt?" This is sounding more and more stupid as I continue. From the bemused look on Clove's face, I'm also confusing her. Well, great. Well fucking done, Lykos, you've once again shown the whole of Panem how weird you are.

"You aren't the most normal guy out there, are you?" says the girl from 2 in a slightly teasing tone and I blush and look away from her. But she's not done. "From any other person, it'd be weird. But from you, after the rabbit intestines conversation in your interview, it's actually pretty regular." She laughs again, and at the confused look on my face, rolls her eyes. "Look. We all know you're weird. The whole of Panem knows you're weird. Don't worry about it."

Yawning, she takes a knife out of her jacket and begins to play with it, slipping it between her fingers. I watch, fascinated, as she does so, until she nicks the side of her middle finger and swears, tossing the knife to one side and slamming it into her mouth. "Bullshit." she says, and a little blood runs down her chin from the wound. Grinning, I go and retrieve the knife and hand it back to her, and she scowls. Snatching it back, irritated, she slams it into the soft earth and watches it moodily, humiliated. She's 14 years old, a year younger than me, and already more skilled with knives. A lot more skilled. She's a little mentally unstable, I think, due to her love for torture. Unlike myself, she doesn't care about killing out of combat- she'll kill in any way she can. Despite the fact I originally though of myself and Clove as kindred spirits… We're not. We're both mad but… in different ways. My way is more harmless.

She's looking at the woods, now, with a hungry look in her eyes. Like a predator, she scans the trees, searching for movement. Then, she smiles a nasty smile and says to me, staring straight into the bushes, "We're being watched." she says, and her voice is barely more than a hiss. Frowning, I crane my head to look at where she is looking but cannot spot anything. I get up to wake the others but Clove stops me, grabbing my hand and pulling me back down, letting go quickly. "No!" she whispers, and there is so much excitement in her voice I can hear it's about to burst. What is she talking about? Has she finally cracked? "Don't move. I want to see who it is."

For a few moments, the girl from 2 twists her head around, looking into the woods and I try to follow her train of sight. Then, my eyes open wide. From between the green and brown of the woods, I can see a burst of orange. A burst of red hair, ginger hair, orange hair. There is only one surviving red-haired tribute in these Games. My heart practically stops and I feel a sick feeling in my stomach. What is she doing?! I thought she was smart- so why is she just waiting there, in plain sight of us? And what am I supposed to do- now Clove has seen her prey, there's no way I can distract her now! Cursing Marissa in my mind, I do not take my eyes off her, willing her to run, to move!

Slowly, Clove gets to her feet, tugging me with her. I take a knife in each hand, gripping them tightly, horrorstruck at what I'm about to do. No! I can't kill her! I can't! Oh for Gods sake, I have to pull myself together! This is the Hunger Games, not school. I'm in here to kill these people and I'm worried that some red-haired girl I barely even talked to might die? I'll have to do it, I come to the grim realisation, as I follow Clove towards the glimpse of Marissa through the trees. I'll have to do it, because I don't want her to feel any pain. Maybe Clove knows the pain she's dealing me, because she flashes me a slightly cruel smile and laughs as Marissa bolts away, noticing we're coming. The girl from 2 sprints after her, up the hill, and I am forced to follow. Although I am faster than Clove, as I have longer legs and my body is more suited to running than heres, I let her stay ahead, not wanting to lead this. A sick feeling is in my stomach. This… this is the fox hunt. And I'm taking part.

All three of us are running now; Clove and I cross the threshold into the woods and pelt after the girl, crashing through the undergrowth with reckless abandon. She's quieter than us, being smaller, and runs with scarcely a sound; if it wasn't for her distinctive red hair amongst the trees we would've lost her. Skidding around a corner after her, I overtake Clove and sprint after Marissa, with the girl from 2 hot on my heels. Feeling sick to my stomach, I try and get a clear shot at her- she's only metres away from me, now, and I can see the look of absolute terror on her face. The pleading in her eyes as she stares back at me for a split second… God, I can't kill her. But I keep running, and yell out as a knife whistles over my shoulder, landing with a dull thunk into a tree trunk inches away from Marissa's head. The two of us gasp as one as Clove screams out in anger, but the chase goes on. She's tiring, I can sense it in her heavier footfall; she's not fit and trained, like myself and Clove. If it wasn't for the fact I keep slowing to let her get ahead, she'd be dead by now.

We come to a small, stony slope down towards a river and she skids down it, on her back. I try and run, and so does Clove, but we find ourselves slipping in the pebbles. I hear her yell of fear as she tumbles downwards, having lost her footing, and crashes straight into me. We roll over each other, yelling out and trying to stop and disentangle ourselves, but end up splashing to a halt at the bottom. Marissa's got an advantage now- she's started running down river, with the current helping her. There's a ledge, only metres away, and I can tell she's going to try and jump it. Scrambling free, I get myself back on my feet and practically pick up Clove as we continue our chase through the river, me half carrying the girl from 2. Sweat is running down my forehead and, with a gasp, I slip on the waterbed, and bring my ally down with me. It may seem like I'm doing this on purpose to let Marissa get away- I'm honestly not. This is getting ridiculous.

Clove and I are both soaked to the skin, freezing cold and sweaty at the same time, and we run almost blindly after Marissa who is getting close, now, to the ledge. If she goes down it, we'll never be able to find her- there's a whole other stitch of forest down there. It's only then that Clove, desperate, realises what she has to do. Using my chest as a launch pad, she throws herself forward and grabs Marissa by the ankles, toppling them both over into the river. Falling back, winded, I can only watch in horror as the girl from 2 straddles Marissa's waist, laughing wheezily, and stares down at her with crazed, bloodshot eyes.

"Got you…" Clove mumbles and, turning around, smirks at me. Although she's mostly been friendly with me, and open, our friendship only goes so far, I suppose. If she wants to kill this girl, then she'll kill this girl. My feelings are nothing compared to the bloodlust. Clenching my fists hard, I cannot bring myself to look at Marissa, who is struggling, splashing around in the water. Although Clove is too exhausted to do anything for a few seconds, she pins her down anyhow. Eventually, irritated, the girl grabs Marissa's body and flips her over, so she's on her front. Straddling her back, Clove grabs her victim by the hair, and forces her face into the water, laughing as the girl I care about so much squeals under water. Standing there, helpless, I watch as Clove tortures Marissa- she ducks her head under water and holds her there for ridiculous amounts of time, before allowing her air. I step forwards, after three minutes of this, agonised.

"Clove, come on…" I say, and I realise that my eyes are full of tears. I thought she wouldn't get caught… I prayed… Biting my lip, I wipe the tears from my eyes and watch as Marissa stares at me hopelessly, gasping for breath. Like a fish out of water, she is, as water dribbles out of her nostrils. I want, desperately, to step forwards and grab Clove and pull her off Marissa. How can this be happening? I knew it would but… in this way? Both girls are staring at me, different expressions on each. Marissa looks simply hopeless, and Clove conflicted. I can see the better half of her, the half that cares about things, is willing her to let go for my sake. But the madness buried deep within her eyes is strong.

It's just as I watch Clove grab a knife from her coat and holds it up to the sun, examining it, that Marissa, with the strength only a desperate person can have, bucks her back. Clove falls backwards- the water making her slip onto her back. And then the vixen, now free, scrambles to her feet and, without a backwards glance, leaps over the ledge, disappearing into the foam of the small waterfall. My ally is lying on her back in the river, breathing hard, and I run over to her, my liking for her getting the better of me. Taking both hands I cup her face, terrified. What if she's dead? No, she can't be dead, Marissa just kicked her backwards and she slipped, landing awkwardly.

"Clove! Clove!" I say desperately, grabbing at her neck and trying to feel her pulse. For a few seconds I search for her heartbeat, until one of her hands comes up to slap mine away. A sigh of relief slips from my lips and I sit back in the river, absolutely soaked. Marissa got away… it's alright… Oh thank God! Tears of gratitude roll down my face as I look up at the sky, but I wipe them away quickly, not wanting Clove to see. From the look on her face, she is monumentally pissed off.

She tries to get to her feet, but falls back with a grunt of pain. "Twisted my ankle." the girl says, and I can see from the twisted look on her face that she's trying not to cry or make a sound of pain. I crawl around her, and sit in front of her, pulling her trouser leg up to reveal her ankle. She hisses and bats at my hands at first, not wanting to seem vulnerable, but I see the swollen patch where she hurt herself. It's a nasty twist, I can see that, but nothing serious. Getting to my feet, I put an arm around her shoulders and pull her up. Clove winces at first as she puts weight on her foot but then, with my arm around her for support, she manages to limp back to camp.

As we emerge through the trees into the clearing, I see that all of the others are already awake and have panicked expressions on their faces. They look like they're about to go out into the woods, as they're fully armed, and we walk (well I walk, Clove limps) towards them, wondering what's going on. From the hundred metres or so between us, I see Winnow's head turning in our direction. She spots us and calls out a greeting, before sprinting up towards us, closely followed by Marvel, Peeta, and Glimmer. Cato walks behind, with a scowl on his face. As soon as Winnow gets to us, she gasps at our soaking wet bodies and at the fact Clove is limping along.

"What the heck happened?!" she says, looking in shock from me to Clove and back again. Clove twists her lip in a snarl, and points her head back towards camp.

"How about I tell you once we get back to camp?" she says sarcastically, and Winnow, giving her a nasty look, helps me support her back towards our camp. Letting her get Clove to a sleeping back to sit on, I sit back and watch. Then, I feel a brute force pushing me backwards, and feel my whole body slammed, hard, against the Cornucopia.

Before I know it, Cato's face is inches away from my own and he's breathing hard- the stench of his stagnant breath chokes me. What is he doing?! Wriggling, I try and get out of his grasp but he has me by the neck, and is pushing me into the side of the metal Cornucopia, a grim look of fury on his face. All of the others are shouting and Marvel is trying to pull him off me, but Cato slams a fist into his head, making him double backwards, clutching his head. He still has me by the neck.

"Where've you been, huh?!" the brute says, and when I try and answer, slams me back, even harder, into the side of the Cornucopia. I struggle to get free again, but find my strength inadequate against his own, because he holds me firmly in place. "Thought you'd just go off into the woods with Clove and leave us here, for anyone to come and fucking kill?!"

He's fully in my face now, and I feel his hands squeezing my neck. Fearful and confused, I find that he is blocking off my breathing with his thick, muscular hands. Oh God, oh God, is he going to kill me? "You're so lucky that Winnow woke up, else someone could've died!" he strangles me even harder and I begin to see stars in my eyes, struggling even harder against his grip. Fear courses through my whole body, but I keep my chin high, glaring at him, staring deep into those soulless blue eyes. Cato pauses, seeing that I'm going blue, and slackens his grip slightly. I take that as an invitation and duck my way out of his grip, slipping under his arms and falling to my knees, coughing and spluttering. Looking up at him furiously I grit my teeth as he stares down at me with contempt.

"Cato, leave him be!" I hear Clove yell, and turn my head to see her standing on both feet (even if she is slightly leaning on Glimmer…), with a cold look of hatred in her eyes. Although it's not for me, it's for Cato. This doesn't surprise me- I'd always got the impression she didn't like him. But that look… she's never looked at me like that. Thank God, I think I'd be scarred for life if she did. "We saw Foxface from District 5 in the woods, and we went to attack her," she continues, giving me a slightly dark look at the word 'Foxface'. She pauses, and Glimmer steps forwards, raising her eyebrows.

"So? Did you get her?" she says eagerly, swishing her plaits out of her face as she smiles hopefully at Clove, who, when she moved forward, fell over. Hauling herself up, Clove glares at me, and says in a dark tone,

"No. She got away. We chased her to this river, and I caught her and started drowning her but she flipped me off and I slipped and twisted my ankle," looking at her district partner, who still has a murderous expression on his face, she says sarcastically, "No, Cato, Lykos and me were not hooking up in the woods. Okay? So stop trying to be masculine and go shave your back or whatever you do."

For a few seconds, Cato looks from me to her and back again, as if not quite believing it. Then, he nods stiffly, and walks back over to camp. Slamming himself down, he says in a dark voice,

"We're going hunting tonight. And we'll find little ginger, don't you worry."

He slams a knife into the ground.


	8. Tracker Jackers

**Lykos has some happy times in this chapter ;D **

Days pass. Days and days and nothing happens- Cato gets worse and begins taking out his anger on the rest of us. He blames the rest of us for the fact we aren't finding anyone; I guess something very interesting must be happening out there in the woods. He mostly takes it out on Peeta, the boy has a huge bloody bruise on the left side of his face from where Cato backhanded him after we lost the boy from 10, who is about 15. We chased him through the woods for ages but, for a cripple, he's pretty damn fast. Good at using his hands to get him places, you know? Ended up scrambling up a tree and we lost him. Cato was so angry that he beat Peeta to the ground.

We walk through the woods again, eyes firmly on the trees around us. The audience must be so bored with us, or maybe not. We came out into the woods because, this morning, there was a fire someplace. Not a little campfire, mind you, but a proper forest one. We watched as the flames licked at the sky, and then when the fire was replaced with smoke, we came out to hunt. Hopefully, the fire will have forced other tributes closer to us. They must have been rather spread out, as we had difficulty in finding anyone. I hope we don't find Marissa again. God, why do I even care? I talked to her twice! I'm going to call it an infatuation and hope it goes away. Because at the last moment, staring down at her, my knives must find her body. There is no way I'm letting some… crush… stop me from winning these Games.

Cato is in a foul mood, as usual, and the rest of us aren't amazingly happy either. His anger has spread out on the rest of us, and I've been so close to stabbing Winnow that my knife was inches away from her neck before I realised what I was doing. Anyway, the brother-sister-who-care-about-each-other shit hasn't gained either of us sponsors. So why not give it up and I can kill her in the way I've been wishing I could for years? I twist my knives around my fingers as I walk, yearning to stab them into anyone… anything! All the small animals we've seen have either been too fast or too pointless to hit. Clove hit a couple of lizards yesterday, but what're you supposed to do with a lizard carcass? Not even good target practise.

Eventually, we find ourselves at a river and sit down by it, resting after hours of jogging through the undergrowth. Marvel and I throw stones into the water, bored, and the others sit around chatting dully. Cato, however, just stares into the water, blinking at the ripples Marvel and I make with our stones. Grabbing a particularly flat stone, I attempt to skim it, but fail.

Getting up, irritated, I step forwards onto a slimy rock and attempt to balance on it. There are a lot of rocky plates in the river, although they are all very sloppy. I clamber along them, pulling myself up to a tall one and standing on it victoriously.

"If you slip off and die, we aren't mourning you!" Marvel yells and I laugh, swaying dangerously to the right. Gritting my teeth, I jump to the next rock and find myself slipping- I grab onto the rough top of it, and scrape my hands painfully. I can hear their laughter and, turning around, see that I'm being watched. This must be the first time we've laughed in days and the boy from 1, wanting to make the most of it, jumps up beside me. We race along the rocks, me and Marvel, slipping countless times. The others (aside from Cato), pick sides and cheer us on, and when I slip and fall into the river with a loud splash, the others clap Marvel who bows, grinning down at me. With a scowl, I swipe at his feet, dislodging him from the rock, and he falls down next to me with a loud splash. Laughing, we sit on the river bed, soaking wet, and splash each other. Even from here, I can see a muscle twitching in Cato's jaw. Eventually, getting tired of it, he stands up and shouts,

"Let's move on, God dammit!" we stop. Everyone stares at him, at his red face and heavy breathing. He glares challengingly at me and Marvel, who are still in the water, and gestures for us to come onto land. We look at each other mutinously, like a pair of bad schoolkids, and wade onto the bank where we stand there, both covered in water. "We haven't found a tribute in days, and you two are playing about in the fucking water?!" Cato roars, glaring down at us, which is quite a feat considering Marvel is taller than him. "You follow me. I lead this pack. Understand?" he says challengingly. Biting my lip to stop myself from grinning, I nod. Grabbing his sword, he moves off into the undergrowth and the others follow him. Me and Marvel, suppressing our laughter, follow him upstream. I can't even look at the boy, in fear that I'll burst out laughing and Cato will come and rip me to pieces. I don't think fun is high on Cato's priority list somehow. It wouldn't be high on mine either, but after days of following him blindly into the woods and not even talking to each other, I'm furiously bored. Wouldn't the audience enjoy watching some kids have a laugh after days of absolutely nothing?

We move off into the woods a little way, hoping to catch sight of somebody drinking from the river and catch them from there. But nobody comes… at least, not for about an hour.

After that, we find someone. We find the person that we've all been wanting to kill ever since day 1 with the chariots. Firegirl.

She's lying with her leg and hands in the river- smoke-blackened in places and with ugly burns on her right calf and hands. There is a look of silent bliss on her face as the cool water soothes the ugly wounds- I suppose she must have been in the fire this morning. Grabbing Cato by the arm, I say, astonished, "It's firegirl!"

Pointing through, at the river, I point at her, still seemingly out of it in the river. Cato's eyes widen and he grins, gesturing to the others. And then, in a great booming voice he yells, "It's firegirl!" We all burst out into the open and she sits up with a start. A look of terror comes onto her face, as she gets up and sprints into the woods. We follow, laughing and shrieking at the top of our lungs- we've found firegirl!

"She's mine!" shouts Glimmer, as she leaps down into the river, splashing us all. Marvel grins, overtaking her, and shouts childishly,

"Not if I get her first!"

We sprint after her, splashing through the water, and drag ourselves up onto the bank and pelt after her into the woods, shouting and screaming things at her at the top of her lungs. This feeling is elation! There are seven of us and only one of her- there's no way we can't catch her! She's practically dead already, only about ten metres in front of us!

"Where you gonna go?" yells Cato after her and we all shout with laughter, like hyenas on the hunt. Glimmer, wanting to express her wish to get the girl herself, shouts,

"Mine!" again, and pushes her way ahead, such is her want to get Katniss first. We all speed up, desperately wanting to be in front and be the one to get to Katniss first. She's in clear sight of us now, and she literally has nowhere to go- she has to tire eventually, right? Breaking our way through the undergrowth, we lose her for a second and dither around desperately, not believing we could've lost her. Then Winnow shrieks out loudly, pointing slightly right of where we are.

"There she is!" she yells and takes the lead and we all run after her. For a second I think she's mistaken, then I too catch a glimpse of firegirl and double my speed, taking the lead with a call of triumph. The others, in my wake, sprint after me, determined to be the one to catch Katniss.

"Here we go!" shouts Cato as he gets in front of me, his higher stamina taking him in front. I'm level with Marvel, now, with Glimmer, Clove, Winnow, and Peeta behind us. We run after her, deeper and deeper into the woods, but she does not stop running! I throw a knife at her head and she ducks out of the way just in time- it smacks into a tree inches away from her. Although I don't want to lose the knife I keep going anyway as we run past it- hopefully it'll intimidate other tributes if they find it. Nevertheless, I feel a little sadness as we run by, leaving it behind. "Where you going, huh?!" shouts Cato again and we all cheer; she's a little out of sight, but we should be able to catch her. Cato barrels ahead, cutting a tree branch out of his path.

It smacks round, almost hitting Glimmer in the face, but she ducks at the last moment. Stopping for a second, she yells, "Get her Cato!" at the top of her lungs and we all cheer.

"Alright, let's go!" the boy from 2 yells and we all break through to see Katniss climbing a tree desperately- her last hope. We all whoop and laugh at the top of our lungs, and Marvel and I take the lead, now, our longer legs giving us an advantage. We burst out laughing raggedly as she climbs- where does she think she's going?! She's only trapping herself! "Where you going, baby?" Cato shouts after her, and she doesn't look back, climbing frantically. I laugh at her frenzied movements, coming to a halt as the others stop behind me. We're all laughing.

"Way to go, girl on fire!" I crow, and the others burst into laughter. We're like a pack of wild animals, crazy with the hunt, as we stare up at our prey. She's trapped, fully trapped, unless she can fly… which I doubt. We stay at the base of the tree and shout at her, cursing and jeering anc catcalling at her moving shape.

"That's not going to help you up there, Katniss!" Glimmer yells, and Katniss looks down to give us a grim look before climbing even higher. I have to admit she's good at climbing trees if that means anything- she's got up about six metres already. Grabbing a stick, I throw it at her and it misses by inches, but she loses her footing and almost falls. The others cheer, as Clove screams out,

"Where are you going?"

Cato grabs onto the tree and starts climbing after her, fuelled by our cheers and encouragement. We shout various things at him, telling him to climb faster or encouraging him, as he gets ever closer to the girl. However, he grabs a weak branch and falls, with a yell, down. For a second I think he might've broke his back, because he lies still, but he's too robust for that. Standing up, swearing like a guardsman, he glares up at her with evil eyes, shaking the leaves from his hair and clothes. With a sigh of anger, I grab the tree myself and begin to shimmy up it; I'm faster that Cato was, and more graceful with my movements. As I climb up towards her, knives in hand, I settle myself on a reasonably sturdy branch. Taking aim at her head, I step backwards to throw but the branch breaks and I throw myself upwards, grabbing onto a branch above me. My knives fall to the ground and I hang there, in mid-air, feet away from Katniss.

Feral, I lean forwards and grab onto the trunk, clinging on for dear life. I try and slide round to get to the branch she is leaning on but fail, and fall down a few feet, bloodying my hands.

"FUCK IT!" I shriek at the top of my lungs and make a leap of faith, and catch the branch she is on with the tips of my fingernails. She hisses in shock as I grab on to the branch. Hanging, ten metres off the ground, I reach a hand up to punch at her and miss, at dizzying heights. The Careers are all screaming at me to hoist myself off and strangle her, but she smashes a fist down on my right hand and I squeal like a pig as the bruising force hurts me. Realising that this is hopeless, I swing back towards the main trunk and, climb down slowly, nursing my bloody hands.

Humiliated, I grab my knives from off the floor and hang my head, furious. I was so close… so fucking close… Glimmer grabs her bow and arrows and aims at Katniss. With little accuracy she shoots an arrow, but it falls short and nearly takes Clove's eye out. Swearing, the blonde girl makes to shoot again, but Cato pushes her out of the way and shoots it himself- he has no luck either. His shot misses by inches, as firegirl ducks away, a weary smile on her face. Her voice, half mad, says in an attempt at bravado,

"Maybe you should throw the sword!"

We glare up at her, infuriated, and Clove makes to throw a knife, but Peeta steps forwards, a miserable look on his face. "Maybe we should just wait her out." Turning around I stare at him, a look of irritation on my face. What does he mean, wait her out? She could be up there forever! Looking around, I find that the others are all staring at him with varying degrees of annoyance. He can see from the looks on our faces that the plan is a no-go, because he continues in a persuasive tone, "She's gotta come down at some point. It's that or starve to death. We'll just kill her then."

For a few moments we are all silent, and I watch as Cato exchanges a glance with Glimmer who bites her lip. He looks at Clove who stares back at him, then at me. Slowly, I shrug, as if to say Up to You. He is silent for a bit longer, before saying in a conflicted tone, still holding Glimmer's bow, "Okay." he shoves the bow back into her hands, and she steps back slightly at his force. "Somebody make a fire."

XXX

It ends up being me who makes a fire. The rest of them are all walking off back to collect water and find some food. Me, Katniss, and Peeta are left there; he's still staring up at her, and I'm attempting to make a fire. Somehow, I feel a little outnumbered with the tributes from 12 and myself here; what if Peeta is going to betray us and turn around and stab me? I can feel firegirl's gaze on me, and when I look up, I see she is staring at me with narrowed eyes. Waving at her sarcastically, she laughs in a hoarse voice.

"How's everything with you?" firegirl shouts down in a faux cheery voice, directly to me. Peeta has now wandered off to forage berries- I've been left to guard her, apparently. Piling up sticks to make a fire, I rummage in my pack to pick out a match. Looking at it for a few moments, I wonder if I could set her tree on fire. Maybe that would get her down. But I doubt these matches are strong enough for that, unless we built a fire around the base of the tree… No. She has to come down anyway, and she's not worth my matches. Striking one of them, I drop it into the pile of sticks, and begin to collect stones to put around the edges. Knowing the Capitol will love it, I smile at her, showing my teeth.

"Well enough," I reply, and watch as the flames come to life. "Yourself?"

For a second she pauses, and then looking back up at her, I see a look of slight smugness on her face. She thinks she's so fucking smart with her little jokes. Hopefully Clove will get hold of her, and then we'll see who's funny. Apparently fireigrl's in a mood for conversation, however, because she shouts down, "It's a bit warm for my taste, actually. The air's better up here, though. Want to come and join me?"

Oh, how hilarious. I'm practically splitting my sides laughing at her funny little jokes. Not. I can almost hear the Capitol audience loving our back and forth conversation, however, so I take a second to think of a good comeback. Hmm…

"Oh I don't think so," I shoot back, staring up at her with a mirthless smile. "Oh firegirl, firegirl, firegirl. You do make me laugh."

The others come back soon after that and Katniss stops talking- her gaze is firmly on Peeta now. We sit around the fire and chat; they managed to find some roots to go with the dried food we brought with us. We have a good dinner that night around the fire, staring occasionally up at Katniss to see that she, too, is settling herself down for the night; she's setting up a sleeping bag. Suppose she isn't planning to go anywhere then.

We settle ourselves down; we don't have sleeping bags, annoyingly. It's freezing cold in the night, and Glimmer and Cato immediately go and hold each other. Maybe I should go and hold Winnow, and be the good little brother, but seeing the nasty look on her face, decide against it. She settles herself down alone, and Marvel is about a foot away from me, staying up on guard duty to make sure Katniss doesn't run away in the night. Peeta is right beneath the tree and, in the dark, I can see the white glint of his eyes. He's still staring up at Katniss then, watching her. Maybe he does still like her.

I'm just closing my eyes, when I feel a warm weight settle itself down next to me. Opening my eyes, I see Clove's face inches away from my own. For a second I'm a little bit shocked, not expecting it, but she's warm and it's a cold night. I put an arm around her shoulders and pull her closer into me, feeling her head settle in the crook of my neck. Looking down, I notice she is still clutching her knives in her hands, and I feel a pang in my heart. Although I'm infatuated with the girl with the face of a fox, this girl is almost like a kitten. A kitten with claws like knives and a dangerous personality. But when she's asleep, she's actually quite cute.

That night, I awake with a start, to find Marvel shaking me awake. Groaning, I slap his hand away and try and move my other arm, but find it's still trapped beneath Clove. Extracting it, I discover that it's a little numb, and shake it to get the blood back in it. Confused, I stare at him.

"What?" I say, slightly annoyed that he has woken me from my sleep.

"It's your turn for watch," he replies in a weary voice. His eyes are drooping like a bloodhound's. For a moment, I consider telling him to wake up somebody else but, with a sigh, sit up. Getting to my feet, I see the familiar glint of white in Peeta's direction and groan, waving an arm at him.

"He's still awake. Get him to do it."

For a second, Marvel looks like he's considering it. Then, he shakes his head, pulling a face. "No. He's been staring up at firegirl all night- I reckon if we let him go on watch duty, he'd let her go." For a few moments I feel a burst of anger at the boy from 1 but then, with a sigh, nod my head. He grins and goes and takes my place next to Clove who moans in her sleep and shifts away from him. I laugh out loud at the look of disappointment on his face, and go and lean against the tree. I know Peeta is still awake, but I don't care. Maybe I should put him to sleep forever and be done with it. I've got my knives right in my jacket- he does anything, he's dead. His gaze shifts to me for a few seconds and I stare straight back at him.

"I'd suggest you go to sleep, loverboy," I say, and my voice sounds harsh. Peeta just looks at me, not speaking. "I've got this watch. If you want to go and join your little girlfriend up there," I take a knife from my jacket and begin to play with it, tossing it up in the air and catching it again. "Then feel free. We don't need you around." As I say the word around, I slam my knife into the tree and look at him challengingly. But his expression is merely deadpan: he isn't going to fear my threats. Feeling a twinge of irritation, I repeat, "I said feel free. We don't need you around…" he doesn't move a muscle.

Walking over to him, I kneel by his side and his blue eyes flicker with a look of hatred. I can't help but laugh- so he doesn't like me? Good. I don't want him to like me. "I said shut your eyes." My voice is low, now, and threatening. How can he not get that I mean it? I want him to shut his damn eyes and he's refusing. "Fucking shut your eyes." my voice is insane now, and the look in my eyes is dangerous. Why won't he shut his eyes? This is starting to make me angry. He does not want to make me angry. With a sigh, I walk away from him and lean against the tree. "Only a matter of time, Peeper." Oh hell. I called him Peeper, I called him Peeper… So I have to ruin the great, threatening atmosphere but getting his damn name wrong. He gives me a strange look but does not correct me, and his eyes go back to Katniss, up in the tree. Resisting the urge to call her 'Catnoose Evergreen', I wait until he eventually shuts his eyes, at least three hours later.

My eyes shut too, although I don't fall asleep. I just doze.

A slight rustling awakes me. My eyes flick open quickly and I grab my knives, ready to defend myself. Looking up, I see firegirl is still asleep, as are the others… So who made that sound? My eyes search the trees, searching for something, anything that might alert me to another tribute being in the area… Then, I spot it, just as I walk around the other side of the tree. Frozen with fear, clutching a handful of various dried food, is Marissa. Our eyes meet for a second as she stares at me- she's been caught in the act. Frozen, she waits for me to do something, not knowing what to do or where to run.

But I'm in the same situation. My heart is pounding- what the hell am I supposed to do?! I'm only infatuated with her, for God's sake, I can kill her if I need to! Holding my knives, still in the defensive stance, I stare into her amber eyes worriedly, not knowing what to do. Then, I let out a sigh and put my knives back in my belt, coming to a conclusion. There is no way I could kill her, even if I tried. She frowns, confused, and I bow my head, ashamed. All of my training- my teachers and Finnick must be screaming at me to do her in. But I can't. All of my training, and I can't kill a simple ginger girl from District 5.

"I can't kill you," I say in a quiet voice, not looking into her face. "You can take the food."

I move to step backwards away from her, back to my post, with a heavy heart. I'm not as strong as I originally thought- I'm weak. I'm so weak that I can't even kill her, for God's sake. But I'm stopped by the sound of her voice. "Wait!" she says, and there's some desperation in that tone. Turning around I stare at her, and I can feel the prickle of tears in my eyes. Why am I so pathetic? There are conflicted emotions on her face, and she says quickly and in a whisper, "Why are you doing this?"

How do I reply to that? What- I've had a huge crush on you ever since I first saw you? I think you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life? You're amazing? What the hell do I say to that?! "I… erm… I like your hair." My brain slowly claps myself. For God's sake what's that supposed to mean- I like your hair? I like your fucking hair? Mentally slapping myself in the face, I sigh, shaking my head. There is a little alarm in her amber eyes, and she steps backwards slightly. Oh great. "Sorry. I'm no good at this," I say and, to my surprise, there is a tone of misery in my voice. "I can't talk to people. I've never been able to talk to people, and I wish I could because I really want to talk to you… Like I am now, but better. I don't know how I feel about you. I've been obsessed-" okay, now I sound like a stalker. Even better. "With you ever since I saw your face at the Reapings. But I think I like Clove too, and that's driving me crazy because I don't know which one of you I like more, and we're in this arena to kill each other so we can't…"

My voice slows and I bow my head. My face is burning with embarrassment as I begin walking away. I can't look back at her, for fear of what might be on her face- be it fear, anger, or… No. I'm not going to get my hopes up and however she reacts, it doesn't matter. I feel a hand on my arm and flinch, ducking away, and see that she's grabbed me. For a second my heart pumps with fear, what's she going to do? But then, just as I'm expecting a knife in my gullet, she moves closer. She's still cautious, and I can see her shivering. I'm not sure whether it's from the cold, or something else. Her skin is so thin, I can see every single one of her veins on her wrist. A pale shade of purple- they're beautiful and delicate. Marissa is delicate. I feel like I could break her with a simple movement, and I'm sure if I do anything she'll run for it. To not feel threatened, she has to be in control.

Moving a little closer, eyes wide and curious, she keeps gripping my arm. It's almost painfully hard, and I can see something more than innocence in her eyes… slyness. Narrowing my eyes I look down at her- she's a little shorter than me, although taller than Clove. There's something about the look on her face that makes my heart beat faster than usual. I wonder what's going through that mind of hers.

"You didn't help me when Clove was attacking me." she says, and I can hear something like reproach in her voice. Shutting my eyes, I shake my head. "When we were in the Training Centre together, on the roof… I was scared of you."

Opening my eyes I look at her, and see the hurt in her face. She isn't happy, and I can't blame her- maybe I should've done something. Stopped Clove hurting her, but what could I have done? Helped her. "You aren't scared of me anymore?"

Slowly, she shakes her head. I'm not surprised- I've just poured my heart out to her and she's little more than a stranger. A stranger with whom I'm infatuated, sure, but I don't know her well. A night spent on the rooftops together, and her following me a few times. God, I'm falling hard and fast; with every little word she says, my heart pounds. There is also a slightly uncomfortable tightness in my trousers, which I have not experienced before.

"I'm not scared of you." Marissa says quietly, staring deep into my eyes. There's something mesmerising about her own, amber orbs that I just can't put my finger on. For a few seconds we stare at each other, both looking like we're about to run for it. Then, before I know what is happening, she steps forwards and her lips meet my own. It's not a deep kiss, but I can practically feel fireworks exploding in me as it happens. For a few moments we both stand there, her with her eyes closed, me looking faintly shocked, before she backs aways and looks at me. Marissa half looks like she doesn't believe what she just did because she looks, spellbound, into my eyes. Then, a pearly tear dribbles out from one of her eyes.

And with that, she runs into the undergrowth away from me, leaving me behind with my heart beating faster than ever.

That, ladies and gentlemen, was my very first kiss.

I stand there, with so many emotions running through me that I feel like I'm about to explode. Then, with a deep sigh, I turn and walk back to camp with a heavy heart. There's no way I can let her die now, not after that. Marissa- my first kiss, the girl I barely know, but for whom my heart pounds. And then, there's Clove… Clove. I don't know what to do about her. About either of them. Marissa, the girl who just kissed me and with whom I've been obsessed for so, so long. Clove, the girl who I've talked to and has been on and off cruel to me for the last few days, but seems to care about me… God, can't I have both of them? No. No, get that thought out of your head. You will not mention that to anyone, Lykos. Anyone. It will not pass your lips.

Looking down at Peeta, I silently pity him. As much as I do not trust or like him, I can understand the feelings of loving a girl you can never be with. Love? Where did that come from?! I really need to fucking sort myself out, I really do. But I'm tired, I've been on watch for hours. Longer than Marvel. Who would be the least dangerous to wake up? For a second, after surveying all of them, I go and kneel by Glimmer and prod her awake. It takes her a while, but eventually, with a yawn, she sits up blearily and watches Katniss. I don't quite trust her to stay awake, somehow, but I don't care. Crawling back over to where Clove is, I lie beside her in my original position and fall asleep immediately.

That night, my dreams are wracked with nightmares.

XXX

I wake up to a strange buzzing. Opening my eyes blearily, hands still wrapped around my knives, I see something above me… a black cloud. But it's not a black cloud, because it's getting closer. At speed. And… Oh shit! It's some sort of wasps nest! Leaping to my feet, I let out a yell and throw myself backwards as it hits the ground and explodes into thousands of little pieces. And out from it, comes so many insects that they block out the sky. But they're not any type of insect.

Tracker jackers.


	9. Hallucinations and The Aftermath

Tracker jackers.

The others all awaken quickly, as the muttations begin to swarm over us. Oh dear God! Blinded by the mass of insects, I grab Clove by the collar and pull her out of the swarm and the two of us run, screaming, away from the creatures. Everything is in chaos: we're all running and screaming and batting the tracker jackers away from us… Clove and I are at the front, sprinting as fast as we can away from the scene, and Cato, Peeta and Marvel are hot on our heels… Then, I turn back and, with a yell, watch as Glimmer and Winnow fall behind, screaming and batting at the creatures. They're covered in them- my sister is covered in tracker jackers, and is screaming in agony as they sting her again and again! Shit! Forgetting that I hate her, I feel a desperation that is old as time itself. My sister is dying, my flesh and blood is dying. I must save her.

Pushing Clove forwards, I run back towards them, shouting out as Cato grabs me by the collar, thinking I'm delusional. Stings cover his face and hands- he's a horrific sight to see. Marvel isn't much better, with a gigantic, bulbous sting on his neck that he is nursing. Peeta is untouched.

"To the lake!" Cato shrieks into my face and we struggle; he's trying to push me in the opposite direction, and I'm desperately trying to get to Winnow who is now on the floor, screaming as the tracker jackers climb over her… The two of us fight for a second, before I jam my knee up between his legs and he doubles over with a shout, and I sprint back towards my sister who is writhing on the floor, beside Glimmer who is screaming and trying to run after us. I can hear the others shouting after me but I ignore them.

"Fucking GO!" I yell, and hear their footfall running away into the woods. Firegirl is watching with some sort of horror and I scream at her, and then scream again as a colossal pain fills me from my arm. Grabbing it, head spinning, I see a lump the size of a plum swelling up on my skin.

Blinded by agony, I feel several more stings on my chest and one on my face and fall back, writhing in pain as Glimmer and Winnow are. They're totally swarmed in the creatures, and I throw myself forwards and grab Winnow's hand. She's not going to die! I'm going to get her out of here! She'll be fine- we've got medicine back at the Cornucopia that can save her! Another stab of pain fills me and I feel a hand on my arm and turning round, I see Glimmer is holding onto me for dear life. Her face is swollen and grotesque- her once startling beauty gone. Knowing that she is dead, as she wails and moans, a mass of stings, there is only one thing I can do. Tears prick at my eyes as I kick her away off me, and grab Winnow, holding her for dear life.

"Winnow!" I cry out, and then I hear her shrieking into my ear. When I pull away to look at her I gasp- she, like Glimmer, is swollen beyond repair. There is nothing I can do. Feeling the creatures stinging at my arms as I hold her, I look into my sister's dying eyes one last time. Then, I get up and run for the lake, hearing their frenzied screams after me. I… I left them to die. Oh God. Tears are running freely down my face now as I sprint for the lake, knowing that a swarm of the creatures are behind me. My vision is going funny- the stings are making everything distorted, like I'm drugged. Staggering, I throw myself into the river and land with a splash. Downstream I can get to the lake; I'll just have to hope the others survived.

But Winnow… Winnow's gone. There's no saving her now. My Winnow, my big sister who I hated so much. Who teased me every second of my life, who told me it was our fault our father died. Don't ask me why I care- I'd had thoughts of killing her myself. But now it's actually happened and she's dead… Two cannons, booming and loud, alert me to what I already knew was going to happen. Both Glimmer and Winnow are dead, and the rest of us are alive.

Staggering down the river, I almost trip and fall several times. And then, I do trip and fall as a figure barrels past me… A blond figure… Cato? He pushes past me, whoever he is, with a spear in his hands and I fall backwards, splashing to the floor, and I let the water come over me. But it can't have been Cato, I reason to myself as my vision blacks several times and I hear an intense ringing in my ears. Another blond figure runs past- and this figure really is Cato. I call out his name as he runs after the other blond person… he's chasing Peeta. Chasing him back towards where the tracker jackers were. And… and firegirl.

_I pull myself to my feet and try and run further down river, and I'm seeing things… Ants! The ants are everywhere! Crawling over my body… Get them off! I don't want them, get them away! Get them away! As I keep running, I try and brush them off my arms but they're crawling towards my face… And I can see the lake! Clove and Marvel are at the water's edge, dunking themselves in water… Running towards them, I scream. They're bathing in blood! The lake is all made of blood! Various colours splash past my eyes as I scream out for Winnow, Marissa, my mother, my father…_

_"Dad!" Shrieking, I run down the slope towards the lake and, pushing past Marvel and Clove, toss myself into the bloody lake. It might get the ants to go away. Scrubbing myself, my head tips back and I scream as my head goes under the water. Help me! Blood is everywhere: I can't see the sky, I can't see anything but endless crimson… And I'm sinking, sinking deeper and deeper under into the blood as the ants drown and leave my body. The ants are going and the crawling sensation is gone… My body relaxes as I fall deeper and deeper into the murky red depths. It's almost relaxing down here, and there's a rushing in my ears. Finally, I can die._

_My father is on the bottom of the lake, I can see him, with his body all ripply… Laughing, I swim down towards him, but whenever I get within a metre he swims further… Why won't he come back? "I didn't kill you!" I say after him, but all that comes out of my mouth is bubbles and… and ants… Coughing out ants, I watch as they drown in the endless blood and float towards the surface… The surface… Where's the surface?! Where is the surface?! Then I blink and my father is gone, the ants are gone, and the red is gone. All I can see is murky water._

It's only then I register that I'm drowning.

Swimming as quickly as I can towards the surface, I break out into the air and gasp for breath. I go in a mad front crawl towards the side; I can't see the bottom! My father really could be down there, with his fingers grabbing and searching, wanting to drag me down to the depths for murdering him… But I didn't! I didn't do it! Scrambling onto the surface I lie on my back, taking long, deep breaths. Then I cough, and it's not ants that come out this time; it's water. Coughing and spluttering, I vomit horribly into the lake, before cupping my hands and filling them with water and washing my mouth out again and again. But I can't get out the sour taste… Spitting the disgusting water out back into the lake, I turn to look at the others.

Marvel is on his side, being sick all over the grass and Clove is clutching her stomach, moaning, and staring in fear at the grass. She turns to look at me, and I see there are tears of pain in her eyes. She laughs weakly, and nods her head at the lake. "Never getting water from there again." she mumbles, before getting shakily to her feet and stumbling a few steps before she falls over again. When she gets up, I see her eyes are glazed over and misty. "Where's… Caaaa-" she can't seem to finish the word. "Caaaaa… tow?" Where's Cato. That's what she's asking- not where's Peeta. If he's dead, he's dead. But if Cato's dead… that means something. Sitting up properly I retch again, before shaking my soaking wet hair out of my face.

"I only heard two cannons…" I say, and my voice is slurred- I sound drunk. It feels like I'm drunk, actually; my head's spinning and, at that moment, all I want to do is go and lie in Marvel's puke. Dear God. "My… my sister's DEAD!" and then, I'm shaking with crazed sobs and I curl up into a little ball, rocking back and forth. "Glimmer too. Got stung to death by those things." And I'm wailing into my knees, like a little baby, wishing someone could come. But… Winnow's gone. She'd thought she was going to win- she volunteered didn't she? I'll never talk to her again, never be ridiculed by her again… Although I hated her, I loved her too. My older sister, the only family I had left. I've got my older brother, sure, but he doesn't even come near me… I'm alone, now.

With a howl I stare up to the sky, through bleary, tear-soaked eyes, and want to know why. Why did she die- why am I alone now? And in that much pain, she's just gone. Winnow is dead. And the audience will be watching me, now, eager for more reaction. With a scream of rage, I howl at the sky again, wanting to kill every single person watching. What do they know about death and pain, these rich Capitol people?! What do they know about anything?! Screaming at the sky, I throw my head back and sob. For several hours I just sit there sobbing. Then, I black out.

XXX

I don't know how long it is until I wake up, but when I do so the lumps covering my body are gone. Touching my arms, I find them smooth and lump free; I run my hands up and down the smooth skin with delight. Was I just hallucinating, then, that the tracker jackers left marks? The pain was certainly real, but perhaps… But then, I notice that my arms are slick with something. Bringing my fingers up to my face, I notice that they are covered in some kind of balm. Clear, thick, and smelling strongly of disinfectant, it covers my body.

Looking around, I notice that it is about midday. The sun is beating down on me- it's a warm, pleasant day. Groggily, I sit up and shake my head, to notice Clove and Marvel lying on their backs next to me, both covered in the balm. Squinting my eyes, I see that Cato is standing by a crackling fire, a furious look in his piercing eyes as he glares into the flames. With a hiss at my stiff, sore muscles I get to my feet and walk over to him, stretching my muscles. Although I'm sure the balm on my stings is doing me good, I feel sticky and unplesasant. As the lake is clear, I'll go and bathe there in a minute.

The boy from 2 holds up his head when he sees me, and a grumpy expression comes onto his face. He nods, then looks at me almost expectantly. For a few seconds I stare back at him, before shrugging and sitting myself down opposite him, on the other side of the fire. "What?" I say, running my hands through my hair and finding it's clumped together with knots. Irritated, I brush it through with my fingers and glance at him over the flickering flames. There is an annoyed look on his face.

"I used the balm to fix your stings. Aren't you going to say thanks?"

So Cato has a softer side, does he? He could have just left us for dead, but he didn't, he actually bothered to fix us up… With real gratitude, I give him a friendly smile. Maybe he isn't so bad after all? "Thanks, Cato. I'm sorry about what happened with the tracker jackers. I was trying to get to my sister."

For a few moments he gives he a hard look, before nodding his head again and settling down to poke his sword into the fire. When the tip is red-hot, he brings it up to his face and examines it, the burning metal inches from his nose. I watch silently, not knowing what to do. He's psychotic, that's true, but which one of us Careers can claim not to be mad? We've been trained to kill since we were little children… Perhaps Marvel isn't wholly evil. He stopped Cato from killing me, after all, when Clove and I abandoned the others to hunt Marissa. Out of these Games, I think he'd be alright. Not the smartest, but he's got a happy, grounded presence. Thats a good thing, especially with me, Cato and Clove around. If it was just the three of us we'd probably go feral and become cannibals, and rip other tributes apart with our bare hands. Peeta… where's Peeta?

"Where's Peeta?" I ask, opening my jacket to check all my knives are still there. They are- although one or two have become rusty. "And how long have I been out?"

A man of few words, Cato looks slightly irritated at all my questions. For a few moments he is silent, ignoring me, before he sticks his sword in the fire again. The scent of burning metal fills the air, and smoke begins to emanate as he watches the metal with those sadistic eyes. Clearly, I imagine him doing the same thing to my head, and swallow. "You've been out for a day and a night, and this morning." then, a cruel smile comes onto his face as he pokes around in the burning twigs with the blade. "Peeta? He went after firegirl, to try and save her. When she ran off, he tried to fight me to stop me going after her. I stabbed him in the leg, and left him to die. He'll bleed to death soon enough."

Remembering this being his tactic with the girl from 8, I consider raising an eyebrow, but decide not to. He did heal me, after all, so I won't question his (crap) judgement just this once. After this, he's fair game again but… Peeta should bleed to death, especially if he got stung by the tracker jackers too. And if not, as Cato stabbed him in the leg, he won't be going anywhere. A few days, if his cannon doesn't go then we'll go and find him and finish him off. But for now, we need to heal.

With a blank look, I walk over to the supplies and begin rooting through them: I'm both hungry and thirsty. Pulling out a box of crackers and a couple of apples, I take a canteen down to the lake and fill it, leaving my food beside the water as I strip off and enter the perfectly cool, clear lake. Ducking my head under, I rinse my hair and face, and scrub the balm off my arms making myself feel refreshed. There are several small scars on my arms from where the stings were, now, and when I press down on one, I wince. Still a bit painful. Crawling up onto shore, I pull on my pants and then lie on the side, letting myself dry in the sun. Eventually, after several minutes of drying myself off, I hear a weak laugh behind me. Turning my head round, I see Clove standing there with a tired expression on her face.

"Showing off, are we?" she says in a slightly hoarse voice and I laugh and get up. Walking over to her, I grab her by the waist and swing her around, grinning. She lets out a burst of laughter before I put her down- holding her at arm's length I smile down at her. "Somebody's in a good mood."

"Glad you're alive, mostly," I reply, and she smirks up at me. She doesn't, apparently, know how to smile- she mostly just smirks. I don't think it's personal, since she does it to everyone. Putting her down, I grab my clothes and dress quickly, slightly embarrassed that I was basically naked, and grab the now purified water and food. Throwing her an apple, which she catches, we walk back over to Cato who is still sitting by the fire eating them happily. There is now a foul look on his face, and he glares at the both of us as we come and sit next to him.

"Quite done?" he says nastily, and I raise my eyebrows at him, intrigued, as I take a bite from the apple. What's he so angry about? Me eating an apple? Considering I haven't eaten for several days I don't think it could be that, somehow. With a scowl, he gets up and gives me a sharp look. "Lykos, go and search the woods. I want to have a little talk with Clove."

Clove gives him a dark look, a frown on her face. "What's that supposed to mean, Cato?" but he gives her a foul look, and then looks at me expectantly. For a few seconds I'm not sure what to do but then, remembering his leadership of the group, pull two of my knives from my jacket and saunter towards the woods. If I wasn't so close with Clove I'd be suspicious, but even if Cato is thinking of betraying me, I know she'll stick up for me. With Winnow and Glimmer gone, however, I know it's only a matter of time until the Careers split up. There's only four of us left in the alliance, now, and tensions are building. I may break off of my own accord, soon, but I don't want to leave Clove behind. That would not be my plan… bring her with me? No. I couldn't that, in case it ended up being only the two of us left. And anyway, I want to seek out Marissa once the Careers have split up. And I want to kiss her again.

In my mind, I remember her lips on mine. It was only for about five seconds, not long at all, but even the memory makes my heart speed up. My first kiss, with the foxfaced girl from 5, on live television. Is that a good thing? No, I'd always wanted my first kiss to be private and special, with someone I could promise my life to. But I can't promise my life or my love to Marissa, since one of us has to die for the other to survive. And in no way was the kiss private; the whole of Panem, save for the other tributes, saw it. I have a slight suspicion that Peeta might have seen, but who's he going to tell? The bushes?

Breaking into the woods, I savour the feeling of the shade. It's a delicious feeling to have the shade splashing over me, and I stand still for a second. The sun is nice, I suppose, but the relief of entering the shade after hours of boiling heat is amazing. Then, after my eyes adjust to the change of light, I walk deeper into the woods. Who is there left to kill? The boy from 11, who I don't want to face alone. Both from 12, but I somehow doubt I'll be able to find firegirl, and Peeta is taken care of. The girl from 11? Yes, she needs finding, and so does the boy from 10. I think someone called him William, I'm not entirely sure. But I sort of remember him; he had dark hair and was about my age. Marissa, who I am not hunting down no matter what. And the boy from 3…

Walking further into the woods, I wonder if I'll find Marissa. It would be nice to find her, just to tell her how I really feel and explain that I'm not a stalker… God I sounded weird when I gushed all that out to her. But then, when do I not sound mad? I wonder if the cameras are watching me right now- I doubt it. They'll probably be centred on Cato and Clove having their "discussion". I'm guessing they're discussing me, from the way Cato asked me to leave. Maybe be showing shots of me occasionally, just to make the story more dramatic. Sarcastically, I wave at the sky. I hate being watched.

About half an hour passes as I wonder through the woods, not finding a soul. Not a flash of red hair, nor the sound of running. However, I can't shake the feeling that somebody's following me. Who, apart from Marissa, would have the audacity or stupidity to do so? The boy from 11 certainly has the strength, I know he could take me, but who else? Katniss is probably blacked out somewhere, dying from her stings. Peeta is taken care of, the boy from 10, with his crippled leg, would be making more of a noise… So it'll be the boy from 3 or the girl from 11. Now I'm certain somebody's following me- I can feel someone's gaze on me. But how do I catch them? Slowly, subtly, I get my knives ready and move myself into the defensive position. Then, quickly, I turn around.

The sound of running. I grin cruelly; they might as well be leaving me a trail, with the amount of noise they're making. I begin to run after the noise of the footsteps, and I hear a shout of fear. Even better! Laughing maniacally in return to their "call", I keep running quickly after whoever it is. Oh I'm going to make a kill today, I know it! I can practically smell their blood! My heart is racing as I run as quickly as I can, round trees, laughing like a hyena.

"Come out, come out little tribute!" I laugh, and I realise how mad I am. The madness is obvious in my voice- it's wobbling and crazed. Oh God! So this is what Winnow's death has done to me? Made me go crazy?! Or maybe it's the tracker jacker stings making me worse…

The prey is close now.

Throwing myself forward, I catch fabric in my hands and throw whoever it is to the ground with a mad laugh. It's not Marissa, thank God, it's the boy from 3! He's sweating like a pig, with terror etched on his face as I straddle his stomach, staring down into his face with feral joy. His dark hair is plastered to his forehead with sweat, and he's breathing hard from the running. There are tears running from his eyes as he stares up at me, horrified at his capture. I smile mirthlessly down at him.

"How've you been, 3?" I say in a voice full of threat. The boy sniffles and struggles, but I'm effectively pinning him to the ground. The predator has caught it's prey… The cat has caught it's mouse… "You don't look too well…" taking my smaller knife in my hand, I trace it across his face almost lovingly. "You look sick… so fucking sick…" Pressing the knife into his neck where his pulse is, I pretend to listen for his breathing. "I might have to put you down." With a cruel laugh, I take my knife and prepare to sink it into his throat, but he gasps and lets out a loud wail of fear. I stop. "What're you crying about?" I say, and I'm surprised to find my voice is genuinely puzzled. It's not like I'm going to torture him or leave him to bleed to death like Clove or Cato would. I'm just going to end it cleanly. What's he making such a massive fuss about?

"You… you're crazy!" he says, and his voice trembles with fear. Looking down with him curiously, I trace my knife around his face, tickling at his features.

"Seeing so much death tends to make you go insane. You aren't exactly helping your case here by accusing me of being mad." I laugh mirthlessly, and look at him with amusement. He really is pathetic, this snivelling little brat who thinks he's going to look like a martyr by insulting me. Honestly, I might as well torture him to death if he wants to be a martyr… but no. That is by no means my style. "Any last words?"

For a few seconds he is silent, so I shrug and ready my knife to slit his throat. Then, a spark of light comes into his eyes and he holds up his arms. "Wait!" I pause and look at him. What does he want? Because if he wants me to torture him to death I'd gladly oblige…

"Gladly!" I say with a happy smile, and position my knife at his face to torture him, but the look of surprise on his face makes me frown. "What do you mean wait?" I say, realising that he wasn't going to ask me to torture him to death. Spoil sport.

"I mean I can help you. There are things I can do for you and your allies that might help you out…"

That stops me. Pausing, my knife still at his neck, I raise my eyebrows at him, with a sarcastic laugh. "What the fuck do you think you could help us with?" But, deciding to humour him, I sit up. Crossing my arms, I watch him with amused eyes. He's even skinnier than I am, he's not particularly attractive, and he doesn't seem like he can fight. Maybe he's smart, but we don't need intelligence currently. What we need is strength, strength that he doesn't have, clearly. I wonder what's he's going to say?

"Well… In District 3, we work with bombs," he pauses, looking for some kind of understanding in my eyes but I don't know what he's getting at. Continuing, he says, "You know at the beginning of the Games when we all weren't allowed to get off our metal plates?" I nod, still not understanding. "The Capitol put these bombs around us, that if we stepped off our plates before the timer ended, we would get blown up. When the countdown finishes, they deactivate them so we can run safely. I think that I can reactivate them, and protect your supplies or… something…"

He pauses, seeing the doubt in my eyes. For a few seconds, I think. Alright, having bombs to protect our supplies would be very helpful, because it would mean we wouldn't have to leave anyone behind to guard the pile while we go off and hunt for tributes. On the other hand, I don't know if we can trust him. He's little, only about 13 years old, and scrawny. He wouldn't dare hurt us, the Careers, would he? Hmm… Unless he's pulling a Johanna Mason in an attempt to appear weak when he's actually strong and deadly, which I doubt, I think I can accept his deal. Letting him feel intimidated for a few more seconds, however, I keep sitting on him, considering. Eventually, a smile comes onto my face.

"You've got yourself a deal, 3. Well, from me. You never know if Cato, Marvel and Clove will agree…" Getting off him, I watch him carefully as he too stands up, the look of surprise on his face evident. This kid really can't believe his luck, can he? Well he's certainly lucky. I think if it had been Cato or Clove, they would've killed him on the spot for even suggesting something. He stands up in front of me and I look him up and down- he's tiny, probably only just 5ft. He's wimpy, too; not any muscle at all. Looking at him critically, I laugh as he stands up straighter, sticking his chin out. "What's your name?"

For a few seconds, he stands still, not registering the question. Then, he says in a quiet voice, "It's Noah."

Nodding, I watch him as he walks back in the direction we came. "Go towards the lake. Stay where I can see you. Try a fucking thing, and I'll kill you. Slowly. Get it?" He does not answer but keeps moving, so I'm guessing he gets it. However, just to make sure, I prod him on painfully with my knife and he winces, walking a little faster. Keeping a metre behind him, I watch him carefully; if he tries a thing, I'll throw a knife into his leg. Enough to stop him, but not to kill him in one shot. If he betrays me, then he'll die slowly. And so painfully that he'll wish he was never born.

When we make it back to the lake, I see Marvel is now awake and is eating, with Clove sitting beside him talking to him. Cato is sitting alone, looking furious (as usual). Noah blanches back, a little afraid, but I push him forward. Cato sees us and raises his eyebrows, and I push and shove the boy from 3 towards him. When we're finally in front of the huge boy from 2, I say in a quiet voice,

"Cato, this is the boy from District 3. He's going to help us."

**Please review, it really does make my day. If you read this and think it's any good, even just saying that makes me happy. Lol, even constructive criticism is welcomed. Thank you guys :D **


	10. Tremors

**Lol, managed to get the word MAHOGANY in here. Kudos to you if you spot it ;)**

Lazily, I watch Noah fiddling with the bombs. It's been about 24 hours since he joined the pack, and already he's being helpful, if slightly irritating with that damned high voice. He sounds slightly like a chipmunk, and occasionally (with his troublesome puberty), like a rasping old man. Quite amusing to listen too, and Marvel and I are watching him nonchalantly. Cato went off to hunt, angry, and Clove is sitting away from us, tossing knives at a small tree for practise. She's been no different to me since the incident with me and Cato, but I've sensed a more guarded feel to her. However I'm not worried. Although during the day she has acted coldly towards me, in the night I always feel her warm weight as she comes and sleeps next to me.

Noah has one of the bombs on his lap and is fiddling with the wires, a nervous look on his face. To him, us Careers are also like the unexploded bombs; he thinks we're going to turn on him any second and… explode… Well, he's right. The second he finishes being useful, I'll knife him in the gut and not feel sorry. Unless one of the others gets there first.

The Capitol must really hate me; I kill so easily, I'm evidently insane, and I haven't bothered mourning my sister. But you know what? Screw the Capitol, and everything about those painted, puffed up freaks. When I win this thing, and go to the Capitol… I'm not even going to pretend I like them. My whole life has been about killing, murder and death. Is a life in prison or execution worth a few more deaths? I want to see those pathetic, spoilt Capitol people with blood on them. I want to hear them scream…

"You alright, Lykos?" turning my head, I notice Marvel is looking at me with some concern on his face. His hair has been messed considerably, with strands everywhere, and his once smooth fringe raggedy on his forehead. With my long hair, what the hell must I look like? With a nod, I begin to weave one of my knives through my fingers, copying the movements Clove makes. I'm not as good at it as her, but the knife is beginning to be more fluid.

"Just fine, Marvel…" I reply, and hiss under my breath as the knife slices a little into my skin. "Just fine…"

Bringing the bloody finger up to my mouth, I suck the red away and then begin to play once more, not deterred. Practise makes perfect, after all. So they say. After a few minutes of sitting around, glaring moodily at our weapons. We all want to be out there, with Cato, but he blatantly said that if we followed him, he'd kill us. Nobody chose that option. The rest of us are now starting to grow a wary fear of Cato, and the boy from 3? Well, he's terrified, but he's busy too. You see, we decided to put his little plan into motion; he's reactivating the bombs and placing them around the supplies. He knows the path to get in to get food, and he taught Cato it too. Irritatingly, Cato refused to let any of the rest of us learn it, so we can't get food. Whenever we want food, he says, he has to be here to "regulate". Fucking regulate. Who does he think he is?

The sound of a cannon brings us out of our reverie. For a second I'm a little stunned, not thinking Cato could've found anyone… But what if someone found him? No. Nobody could've killed that brute- personally, I'm hoping someone else will to save be the trouble. But I prick up my ears, eyes wide, and stare at the others in shock. Marvel voices the question before Clove, Noah, or myself can.

"Who died?"

We stare at each other in silence, shocked. I get to my feet, fingering the knives in my hand with a grimace. Is it time? If Cato has died… I doubt he has, but who will take over as leader of our alliance? None of us, hopefully. But still, there is a lingering hope that he might be dead. That way, my time in this arena will be a lot more fun and less… Cato-filled. Truly, I hate that boy. With his smugness, and his attitude, and the way he picks on me… He reminds me of all the bullies back home. I hope he's dead.

"Cato, maybe?" Oh God, my reply sounds far too eager. I shouldn't want him, the leader of the Careers, dead… Or should I? We're both in these Games to kill each other, after all, and it would make it a hell of a lot easier if he was just killed by some random tribute… The others give me sideways looks, before staring out into the woods. The look on Noah's face is of fear, Marvel's of curiosity, and Clove's face is unreadable. Eventually, they all look back at me, and Clove shakes her head.

"Cato won't be dead," she says, in a slightly matter-of-fact tone. I raise my eyebrows at her and sit back, waiting. She bites her lip, then scowls. "He's not going to get killed by some regular tribute, I promise you." She's looking directly into my face now, her eyes challenging. There is a pang in my heart: she's never talked like that to me before. Clove has always acted like she dislikes Cato… up until now, apparently. She sounds like she absolutely revers him now.

"Thresh could take him." I argue, staring deep into her dark eyes. For a second she stares right at me, determined, cruel, before blinking and glancing back towards the forest. She sniffs contemptuously before turning back to me and shaking her head. She lets out a short, mirthless laugh.

"Have you seen Thresh in the woods?" Clove says, and her voice is cold. I'm stumped for a second and just glare back at her. She smirks. "No, neither have I. You know where he is, Lykos? He's in the wheat-field." Walking over to me, she roughly grabs my face and points it towards the wheat-field on the other side of the Cornucopia, twisting my neck painfully as she does so. "And you want to know where Cato is? He's in the woods." she twists my face around so I'm looking at the woods. For a second she holds my head there, before letting go and grabbing my shoulders. Clove holds me still, one hand on either of my shoulders, and our eyes meet. Sea green on mahogany brown. She smirks again, and her lips twist cruelly.

My heart is beating so fast that I feel like it might burst right out of my chest. Her body is pressed up against mine, her hands are on my shoulders, she's staring deep into my eyes… Is she going to kiss me? Or kill me? One of the two. I stare at her for a second, and I see the sadism slowly evaporate from her eyes. Clove's face moves a little closer, and I can scarcely breathe. Our lips are inches apart, and I know something's going to happen, when…

"I think they're going to kiss…" Marvel's stupid… stupid… STUPID voice hits my ears.

Turning my head, I see Marvel and Noah staring at the both of us with wide eyes, mouths open. For a second, I stand frozen before breaking away and putting my head in my hands. Clove walks rapidly away from us, trying to hide her bright red face. Shaking my head, trying to suppress laughter I walk over to Marvel and belt him round the head. The blow isn't enough to hurt him considerably, but it sends him sprawling backwards, clutching a fat lip. I burst out laughing at the mutinous look on his face as he nurses his lip, and I can see Noah barely hiding a smile.

"Way to ruin a moment, Marvel." I say to the boy, rolling my eyes at him. He glares at me, then grudgingly lets out a laugh and wipes a little smear of blood from where I split his lip. Sitting up properly, he tousles his already messy hair and lets out another short laugh.

"My mother says it's the only thing I got from my father," the boy from 1 says, and spits a little blood out onto the ground. "Didn't say it was a good thing, but that's my mother for you…"

My eyes flicker over to Clove, who is sitting alone again. I really want to walk back over to her, but my mind is yet again conflicted.

Marissa.

Plus, Clove would most likely kill me if I went back over to her, simply because that's Clove. She doesn't like to admit her weakness, and her breaking that strong mould in front of the others, no less, and me trying to continue it… She'd hate me for showing her up. Maybe even kill me- knowing that girl, anything could happen. Unlike Marissa, I know a lot about Clove. With Marissa I'm unsure about how strong she is, how dark, how mad, how… Then, my eyes widen and I feel a clenching of terror in my stomach. What if the cannon that went off was Marissa's? Feeling an edge of panic, I stand up and look at the woods. My heart is screaming at me to run into the woods and find out… But what can I do?! Cato was gone all of last night and all of this morning- he'll be deep in there. I won't be able to reach him… And what could I do, anyway, if she is dead?! Oh hell.

But then, the man himself comes bounding out of the woods, a pleased smile on his face. Cato. Running up to us, he lets out a bellow of laughter, and I see flecks of blood on his face and sword. My heart freezes as I watch him. Marvel smiles and Cato begins to recount his story; I shift in closer as he does so, trying to hear. But I needn't have bothered, I could've heard him easily from where I was sitting. I'd bet every single tribute in the entire arena can hear him.

"The boy from 10," he boasts, smugly throwing his sword up in the air and catching it. My face stays emotionless, but a feeling of relief bursts through me. Not Marissa- the crippled boy from 10. Only the crippled boy from 10. "He squealed like a fucking pig."

Attempting to smile at this gruesome image, I congratulate him as he goes on for what seems like hours about exactly how he killed the boy, how long it took for him to die, the things he did to that kid… blah… blah. blah… blah… blah… He's so damn boring. If he starts talking about the angles that he thrust his sword into the boy, I will scream. And kill him. Painfully. There are a lot of very interesting clouds, actually. Like, I manage to find one that resembles a rat eating a loaf of bread. Watching it as it dreamily sails across the sky, a weary smile comes onto my face. Cato is still talking. Shut up, Cato. There are clouds in the sky more interesting than you. For a few moments, I am able to just watch it. Then, I hear the sound of someone calling my name and turn round. It's Marvel.

"Lykos! God, have you gone deaf or something?" he laughs, shaking his head in amusement. I sit there like a rabbit caught in the headlights. "You looked like you were in a trance!"

I'm still for a second, my mind whirring with a way to explain myself. No… don't say it, Lykos, don't… "There's a cloud in the sky that looks like a rat eating a loaf of bread and I actually thought it was interesting!" I let out a weak giggle, and almost slap myself in the face. Not again. But I've got to keep it going now I've said it. But how the hell do I explain to these people how a cloud in the sky is interesting?! "Well, you know how clouds sometimes look like things and it's really cool because… um… they do…"

I might have to make up a name for my random rants. Lykos Crap? Hmm… Have to think about that one.

Eventually, I shut up and the others all stare at me. For a few seconds, they are silent. Then Marvel begins to slowly clap. Nobody else joins in; the only sound is Marvel slowly clapping. Then, I sigh.

"Alright, I need to think before I open my mouth. Shall we move on?"

And we do move on. We spend the rest of the morning watching Noah try and reactivate a bomb. We have lunch, and then I set to work building a fire. I've just about got it lit when I hear a yell. Turning around, I see Cato is pointing towards the woods, a look of open delight on his angular face. Startled, I look where he is pointing and see a thin line of smoke coming up from the trees. I grin, and get up to stand by the others who are looking at it with glee. We've found somebody! Who the hell would be stupid enough to make a fire?! I run through the options in my head. Marissa wouldn't be stupid enough, I know that by now, and Thresh is in the wheatfield. So it's the girl from 11… what's her name… Rue? Or firegirl.

Hmm…

Cato turns to Noah, and, picking up a spear, shoves it into his hands. Noah looks down at it anxiously, and attempts to grip it. But his hands are shaking. What's Cato doing by giving him a spear? "Come on, we need you in the woods." he says. The boy from 3 looks extremely pleased for a second, to be included, then his face darkens a little as Clove steps forwards, rolling her eyes.

"Are you kidding, Cato?" she says, and her voice is sharp and unpleasant. A shiver of fear runs through me. "He needs to stay here to protect our supplies, doesn't he? And anyway…" she walks over to the boy, and pushes him backwards. He topples to the floor, a look of terror on his face, and she jeers, "See? He's almost as tall as me and he can't even stand upright when I push him. What use is he going to be in a fight?"

I have to agree with her. He's tiny, even skinnier than me, and there is a look of absolute terror on his young face. We need him to keep setting up the bombs.

"I agree with Clove," I say, and all eyes quickly train in on me. Shrugging, I toss a knife in the air and catch it. "He's not going to be much help, and if he dies…"

"You're just agreeing in case it's Foxface," shoots back Cato, angry that I've sided against him. Foxface. Okay, now he's actually made me angry. So he's calling her Foxface, is he?! Almost quivering with rage, I cross my arms and reply in a dark voice.

"Don't call her Foxface…"

An argument breaks out between all of us. It's mostly me, Clove and Cato arguing, swearing and pushing each other around; it is actually developing into a bit of a brawl. Clove punched me in the face at one point, and I'm pretty certain my nose is bleeding. I guess she believes in tough love, because my face really hurts… Eventually, Clove and I (although it's probably got to be called just Clove since I'm nursing my bloody nose while she argues our case) win, and Noah sits down, still clutching the spear. As me, Clove, Cato and Marvel gather up our weapons and run into the woods, he looks wistfully after us.

XXX

After five minutes of jogging towards the smoke do you know what we find? Nothing. A fire, sure, but there's nobody by it, although it's certainly smoking. Ducking around in the undergrowth for anyone hiding, I swear under my breath. There's truly nobody here, at least, nobody within at least 50 metres any way you can go. I hear Cato growling behind me and am certain he's going to pounce on someone, when I hear Marvel shout, "There's more smoke over there!" Looking up at the sky, I see he is right; a thin stream of smoke is coming from about 100 metres to our right.

We run in that direction now, faster and more determined. What is this person playing at? Or is it the same person? What is going on?

Crashing through the undergrowth, at the front, I skid to a halt in front of another fire… but once again, there's nobody by it. Plenty of smoke, plenty of fire but no tributes… With a frown, I turn back to the others as they break through and shrug. We all stare at the fire… Something's going on here. We all know it; something is definitely going on here. Thinking fast, I step forwards and stare into the flames, wondering who set them off and why. Are we being tricked?

I am answered by the sound of an explosion.

Whipping around, I stare at the other Careers, a look of confusion and fear on my face. My look is mirrored in their faces, and, as one, we stare towards the clearing where all our food is supplied… and where the bombs are… Somebody set one off! Somebody tried to get to our food and has been blown sky-high! It worked! Letting out whoops, we begin to sprint back towards the clearing, and more explosions go off, filling the air with loud, resonating bangs. More? Is it a chain reaction or something? Pulling ahead of the others, I bat low hanging branches and leaves out of my face, and head, as fast as I can, towards the clearing and the Cornucopia. At the end of this particularly thick area of trees and bushes, I can see a gleam of light, getting closer and closer… Then, I burst out into the clearing… And stop.

Where our pile of supplies used to be, just a few minutes ago… Is now a pile of ash and… and… FUCKING RUBBLE! Eyes wide I just stare at where all our food, medicine, weapons, clothes… everything… where it all used to be. My heart slows down to a sluggish, almost painful thunk against my ribcage. My mouth widens in disgust, and I don't even move when Marvel breaks through next to me. He skids to a halt, and his eyes flicker with horror. When Cato and Clove push their way out of the bushes, they do the same thing. We all stare, still under cover of the trees. And then, with a scream of rage, Cato breaks into a run. He barrels onto the plain, eyes mad, waving his sword around. The boy from District 3 emerges from a patch of nearby bushes, his face blackened with soot, his eyes wide with fear.

Quickly, me, Clove and Marvel follow Cato and stand behind him as he stares in total shock at the pile. Then, he proceeds in throwing the scariest tantrum I have ever seen in my life. Throwing himself to the floor, he shrieks out in rage as he tears at his hair, beats his fists on the ground and goes completely mad. I stare at him in fear, and then look up at Noah who is tossing pebbles onto where the bombs are, pronouncing them all detonated. It's safe to walk across. IS IT?! IS IT FUCKING REALLY, YOU STUPID LITTLE BOY?!

Starting towards him, I see his eyes widen in fear before I grab him by the shoulders, shaking him.

"You bloody idiot!" I yell into his face, gripping his shoulders so hard it must hurt. Tossing him to the ground, I stare at him in total rage as he lies there, whimpering. For a few seconds he is still, before he begins to scramble backwards, trying to get away from me. Effortlessly, I step forwards and grab him by the neck, pulling him to his feet and then off the ground. He's lighter than most; I wouldn't be able to do this, usually. Staring into his face, I hiss, "Don't try and run away from me, little boy. You blew it all up, didn't you?!"

He stutters, and I tighten my grip on his collar. Cato is still throwing his tantrum behind me, and Clove and Marvel are picking through the remains, trying to find things of use. I notice they both have packs; that's lucky, because Cato and I ran straight into the thick of it without anything at all.

"I didn't, I swear! I don't know who blew it up! That girl… that ginger girl from 5 came to steal food- she got to the supplies without blowing anything up, and then ran away! I went to chase her off, and before I get back, somebody blows it up! It wasn't me! Please!" there are tears of fright in his eyes. Staring down at him with malicious, crazy eyes, I drop him again to the floor and step back. I will play a little game with this boy. Like a cat plays with a mouse, I will toy with him. And he will not come out of it alive.

"You've got five seconds to run." I say in a quiet voice, watching him. For a second, he is frozen. "5…" he begins to run towards the woods, not very fast. He has acquired a limp, I notice. "4…" He's really not going to get there in time. My grandmother- God rest her soul- could run faster than him. "3…" he's got a full hundred metres to the forest edge. Unless he suddenly grows wings, he's not getting anywhere. "2…" taking a knife in my hand, I aim it carefully at his back. "1."

And I throw.

It hits him straight in the head and he falls forwards with a scream. A cannon sounds and I smirk, walking over to the body to collect my knife. Don't want to waste it, now do I?

Turning back towards the others, I see they haven't been able to find anything in the ashes. Red-faced, Cato glances at me, then at the body of the boy from 3. He stares at the corpse for a second, before lifting his chin, trying to resume the role of powerful leader. "Let's get away from the body so they can take it away. We're going into the woods and we're going to find which…" he cracks his knuckles menacingly. "Motherfucker blew this up. And I kill them in my own way, got it?"

I give him a cool look as I walk towards him, flicking the blood off my dagger. "You seriously think someone got caught in an explosion like that and survived?" I say, stepping towards him. Honestly, I don't have time to deal with his crap right now; we just lost all our food, and none of us can take care of ourselves. We've lost everything. And all he can think of is his own petty little revenge, rather than, I don't know, how we're going to survive? What a total unreasonable idiot.

So Marissa stole food? Kudos to her, I guess. She'll probably be better fed than I am, now… Maybe it was her who blew up the supplies? No, she ran away after stealing her food. Someone went in there and died- you can't just survive an explosion that massive.

But Cato, angry that I've questioned him again, steps towards me with a raised hand. "Remember, District 4, I'm the leader of the Careers," he says in a challenging tone. "And what do you mean, nobody could've survived that?" Opening my mouth to scream the obvious at him I take a deep breath, but am interrupted by Marvel who steps forwards and puts a hand on my arm.

"Calm down," he says in that calming, straight-forward way of his. He shuts his eyes and takes a long, deep breath. "Cato, if someone had set off those bombs, then they must have been in the explosion, right?" Like a small child, Cato nods. God, Marvel really is like the adult here- I feel like Cato and I are school-children having their argument resolved by a teacher. "That's what Lykos is saying. He's not attacking your judgement, he's just saying that." he points up at the sky, and smirks. "Whoever set it off is dead. I swear."

For a few moments we are tense. Then, I sigh and shake Marvel's hand off my arm.

"Alright. Let's go back into the woods anyway…" I look distastefully at Noah's body, still sprawled out on the plain. "The Gamemakers will want to get the body."

**!NOTE FROM THEOTHERLACHANCE!**

**Need a name for what I'm going to call Lykos' rants :D "Lykos Crap" doesn't quite have a ring to it... Pm me or leave it in a review what you think it should be :)**


	11. The Songbird

**Plenty of Lyrissa in this chapter, and a little bit of Lyove. Although not very much Lyove as in the next chapter... **

My eyes flicker around. I'm slightly uneasy- although Cato, Clove and Marvel are all here, I can't shake the feeling we're being followed. Perhaps it's the occasional rustling in the undergrowth, or the sound of the mockingjay's singing, but it's starting to unnerve me. At the sound of a crackle in the bushes I throw a knife, unexpectedly, and hear the death scream of some small animal. For a second I want to ignore it, but then remembering our current situation when it comes to food (or lack thereof…), I realise that I'd better get it. Reaching into the shrub, I pull out a bushy tailed rabbit. I hold it up by the tail, examining it, before swinging it around and grabbing Clove's pack to put it in. She makes noises of disgust but I ignore her as I stuff the dead creature in.

"You want to starve tonight? You'll be thanking me when we cook it." I grumble, pulling my knife out of the wound and wiping the blood off it with my sleeve. She gives me a hard look before swinging her bag onto her back properly, and we continue walking in silence.

I don't know who we're hunting, but if we don't bloody find someone I think Cato might actually strangle me.

Can't blame him. I'd strangle me too.

Cato walks ahead of us, like the "alpha" he is, and the rest of us walk behind him in a neat line. Maybe you could call it a formation- I don't know. But we seem to be scaring away every tribute in earshot, since even in two hours we don't find anybody. Eventually, when it comes to night, we settle down in a clearing with angry sighs. Nobody, during that whole day. Not a single person, and we don't have our sleeping bags or ANYTHING with us. Just… just great. It's freezing cold tonight, too, and when I lie on the ground I discover that it's rock hard and cold as ice. Clove is too small to use as a pillow… Hopefully Marvel is gay so I can sleep on him. Or perhaps not, he's too bony… Do I have a chance of seducing Cato? N-n-no. That… get that thought out of my head.

With a yawn, as we settle round a blazing fire that Marvel managed to light, I grab Clove's pack and pull the dead rabbit from it. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to leave it there during the day, as it doesn't look quite as good as it did, but I hand it to Clove to be skinned. She seems to take some sort of sadistic pleasure from slicing the skin from the poor creature, and I'm able to take amusement from that. She's like a little girl on her birthday, tearing open the present I got her. Literally.

"That's a bit violent, Clove," says Marvel, and we all turn to him. He's got one of my knives and is honing off his fingernails with it, a pleasant smile on his face. I growl and snatch it back, pulling a disgusted face as he bursts into laughter. Shoving it back in my jacket, I give him a foul look. For a few moments he just laughs then, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes, says to Clove, "Seriously, you look like you're enjoying skinning it."

For a few moments she is silent, and then she gives him a death-glare. He rears back for a second, terrified at her gaze, and Cato and I chuckle. The look on Clove's face, at this moment, is irreplacable. It's absolutely fucking terrifying… "I'm pretending it's firegirl's face." the girl says grouchily, tearing a piece of skin away with her bare hand. Marvel flinches, then makes a sound of disgust at the skinned carcass. She laughs, "What, Marvel, how do you think you're going to cook a rabbit? With the fur still on?"

Taking the hide in one hand, she throws it at him and he ducks out of the way with a girlish squeal. It makes a sloppy noise as it hits the ground, and then skids down a hill. I hope some tribute finds it and is very, very afraid… We all burst out laughing at the look of terror on his face, and Clove throws a stick at him with a glint of malice in her eyes. "Here, sharpen this would you?" the girl from 2 says, her voice a touch too innocent. For a second he falls for it, picking up the stick, and holds a hand out to me for one of my knives. Knowing what Clove is going to do, I smirk him and hand him one with a sharp blade, perfect for what he needs it for. He slices away at the wood and we watch him silently, and after a few moments he holds up the sharpened stick… or should I call it, SPIT.

But there's something else we have to do first…

Clove throws the skinned rabbit to me and, making sure the pampered boy from one is watching, I squeeze it ever so gently. Then I squeeze it a little harder, around the midriff, and then I squeeze it so hard that I get what I want. The guts, heart, lungs and innards come out of it's ass, splurting out all over the ground. Marvel lets out a shriek as Cato and Clove watch appreciatively as I kick the guts away across the floor. Then, I squish at it's stomach again and all of it's insides come out over the grass. A splash of blood coats my trouser leg and I hiss in disgust, kicking the rest of the innards away from me. Then, I hold out my hand to the boy from 1 for the stick. He looks at it, to the rabbit, to me, then back to the stick again. He shrugs, looking rather queasy.

"What're you going to do with that?" he asks, looking apprehensively at the sharpened stick he is holding in both hands. Grabbing it away from him, I position the sharpened end in the rabbit's anus and, slowly and surely, push. The boy's face goes green as I push the stick further and further into the rabbit, until the point begins to stick out of the neck, just below the head. With a satisfied grin, I use my sleeve to wipe the blood off the point and display my "spit-roast" to the others. Clove applauds sarcastically and Cato grins, but Marvel looks like he's about to puke.

XXX

As Clove and I set up a spit over the roaring fire, Marvel holds his stomach and shakes his head at us.

"I've decided that I'm becoming a vegetarian." he announces to the world. For a moment we are all silent. Then, Clove twists her head around to give him a very serious look.

"Good. More for the rest of us."

XXX

I sleep well that night, with a belly full of rabbit meat, and the next morning I'm up and ready to go. Rousing the others, we set off early and wander through the woods. Clove manages to knife a couple of squirrels, which she stores in her pack (nicknamed "The Meat Locker" by myself and Marvel), and when we settle down to have a quick breakfast, we eat both of them. Squirrel meat actually tastes pretty good, although I doubt we're going to be this lucky for so long; we've had an abundance of prey, recently, and Clove is the only one who can hit anything. The rabbit I got was… a stroke of good luck, let's say. At first, I doubt we'll find anyone. But I find myself eating my words.

It's only mid morning that we find the girl from 11.

She's asleep, still, in a sleeping bag… Ahh, that's good. We can steal that once she's dead. For a second, Marvel makes to open his mouth in a shout of triumph, but Clove claps a hand over his face. For a second he struggles, but then she hisses for him to be quiet. She's watching the girl from 11 with hungry eyes, crazy eyes… so she wants this kill. This is going to be nasty. Because as she hasn't had a kill for days, she's going to be rather… bloodthirsty. She steps forwards toward the girl on the floor, looking through her jacket for a likely knife. Eventually she picks one: delicate, with a beautiful carved handle and a wicked curve at the end. A tool of torture… If me skinning a rabbit made Marvel feel sick, he's going to puke everywhere after this.

Clove straddles the little girl's delicate figure… What was her name? Rue? Yeah, Rue. She's tiny, must only be about 12 years old, and has dark skin and slightly frizzy black hair. Cute, small face with a button nose… To any other group of teenagers, she'd be considered adorable. To us? Easy prey.

For a second, Rue stays asleep, not recognising the weight pinning her to the floor. Then, her eyes snap open and she lets out a cry of alarm as she sees Clove's face inches away from her own. Although I can't observe exactly what's going on, I can hear. And it sounds… it sounds nightmarish.

"Bad choice sleeping out in the open, 11…" Clove whispers, and her voice is crazy as she pulls backwards and grins down at the little girl. Sweat is running down Rue's forehead, and there is a look of absolute terror on her face as her beady eyes flicker around to look at us all. "But we've got you now… Was it you who blew up our food?" Oh yeah, last night when I was asleep, apparently the deathcount of today was zero, apart from the boy Cato killed… so nobody died. That means the person who bombed our food is still alive, which was more of a stimulant for us to find and kill the person. Maybe it was Rue… But how would she do it without getting blown up? When Rue doesn't answer, petrified, Clove grabs her by the collar and shakes her. "Answer me!"

"It wasn't me!" she squeaks in a high, childish voice. She's shaking visibly, and then, seeing that Clove is expecting a fuller answer, cries, "I didn't do it! Katniss!" Katniss? Oh, so she's allied with firegirl is she? I almost want to laugh out loud. What was firegirl thinking, allying up with this wispy little child? Just because she can't get any other allies… Pathetic. "Katniss!" The girl from 2 backhands her round the face, digging her elbow into her windpipe and cutting her off with a raucous laugh.

"Shut up!" Clove hisses, and twists Rue's neck back to an uncomfortable angle, making it difficult for her to breathe. I watch, pitiless, as the child begins to hyperventilate as her breathing is slowly and painfully cut off… She's still mouthing KATNISS over and over, desperately trying to make a noise, to try and be rescued… Can't she see that she's dead? Then, a thought comes through my head. Katniss. Maybe it was her who blew up our pile?! Stepping forwards to voice this I open my mouth but Cato, of all people, beats me to it.

"Stop it," he says, in a firm voice. For a few seconds, Clove resists, digging her hands in harder, but then leans back. Her face flushes an angry shade of red, and she opens her mouth to scream at Cato for interrupting her, when he says, slowly, "I don't think it was her who blew up our pile. I think it was firegirl. And if she's allied with firegirl… Maybe she knows where she is." for a moment, we are all silent. Then, Clove gets up from Rue with a disgusted look in her eyes as she surveys the shivering, weak little child.

"It looks like it's your lucky day, 11," she spits, before turning on her heel and walking behind me. I'm closest to Rue now… So it's up to me to torture her? I'm usually the one who does the torturing, although Clove enjoys it more… Perhaps because I'm more controlled and I kill people a lot slower. She tends to get overexcited after the first glimpse of blood and flies out of control. Me? I'm slower. Like an artist working with an easel, I slowly paint a portrait of blood and pain… Stepping over to Rue, I kneel by her side with a pleasant look on my face. Go slow with this kid- we need infomation, not tears.

"Hello, Rue. You're allies with Catnoose…" I swear under my breath- I accidently used my old nickname. Quickly, I correct myself. "Katniss from District 12. Correct?"

For a second she does not reply. For about thirty seconds she just lies silently, breathing quickly. Then, I sigh and pull a knife from my jacket, exactly the same as the one Clove was going to use. I examine it in the sunlight, and it's rays gleam and bounce all around the place. Then, I smirk and lower it to her face. The second the metal comes into contact with her skin, she lets out a hiss of fear and her eyes open as she watches the blade. Slowly, not looking me in the eyes, she nods. "Good. Was it her who blew up the supply pile?" another short, sharp nod. Ah, at least she's cooperating, even if I don't get to have any fun this way. But Clove will love giving her a painful death, even if I don't have to raise a fingernail. Working the knife up towards her scalp, I let the blade dig slightly into her skin. She convulses violently, as a bead of blood emerges from her dark skin. "Now Rue I'd hate to hurt you… or let Clove hurt you because I promise she'd make it even more painful than me… Where's Katniss now?"

My voice is gentle and sweet. You wouldn't guess it belongs to me.

"I… I don't know." she says quietly. For a moment, she gazes up into my eyes, her own imploring. I search through those dark orbs, searching for the truth and for lies… then, I sigh. She's not lying, at least I don't think she is. Stepping backwards, I shrug at the others.

"That's all the information we're going to get from her. Clove, all yours." Stepping backwards, I hear Clove let out a dark laugh as she steps forwards to do what she does best… But Marvel, ever the voice of reason, slams an arm in her path.

"Wait! Don't you want to find firegirl?" he says urgently. We all stare at him, confused. What does he mean- do we want to find firegirl? Of course we fucking do! Seeing the outraged looks on our faces, he says in a quiet voice, "I've got a plan. I'll stay here with Rue as bait and hide. She'll call Katniss' name until her throat goes dry… And you three will comb the forest in between the Cornucopia and here, searching for firegirl. If none of you catch firegirl, then I'll be here, won't I?"

For a few seconds we are all silent. Both me and Clove want to torture Rue, and Cato wants some sort of blood so this idea doesn't play particularly well with any of us. It's like Peeta Mellark all over again, but with Marvel this time… but we won't betray us, will he? He won't get very far on his own, and neither firegirl nor… what's a good nickname for Rue… sparrow. She looks like a sparrow. Neither Firegirl or Sparrow will want him as an ally, because he's a coldblooded Career. Grudgingly we all agree with his plan- at least we'll be catching firegirl, right? And then we can kill Rue… hey, it's really a win-win.

But as we trudge up towards the lake, moody and upset, it doesn't really feel like one. Cato suggests we split up and meet back at where Marvel is when somebody gets Katniss. Because we will; I can already hear Rue shouting her name. She's perfect bait.

So I wander off alone, into the deeper part of the woods. Finding a river that I know leads to the lake, I step across it and walk in the shallows, absentmindedly kicking and splashing where it gets deep. I like watching the tiny droplets skid into the air when I kick, and it almost makes me feel like a child again, doing this in the shallows of the District 4 beach. Shutting my eyes, I block out the fresh smell of the woods and imagine the stench of salt, fish and sand- the smell of District 4. With my feet in the water and it being a warm day, it actually feels… it feels like home.

Opening my eyes, remembering the danger of walking through the arena with my eyes closed, I sigh to find myself in the plain old woods. What I wouldn't give to be back home, right now… My stomach rumbles. The back of my throat is dry, too; if only I'd asked Clove to give me her canteen. Perhaps it wasn't a wise decision to split up: she's the only one with a pack, because mine and Cato's got blown up with the rest of the supplies. For the first time in these Hunger Games, I'm hungry and thirsty. Hah, let the Games really begin, then. It's not just a bloodbath, anymore, it's a struggle to survive. When I find who blew up those supplies…

I can't, once again, shake the feeling that somebody is following me. Maybe I'm going crazy? No… definitely somebody… It's easy to sense when somebody is looking at you, and I can feel a strong gaze on my back. It could be firegirl! But why would she be following me… wouldn't she be running away? My heart beats faster and faster as I feel my legs go a little shaky in anticipation. I could get the kill! Hah! What would Cato say if I got the kill, after he threw that massive tantrum?! A slow smirk appears on my lips, as I subtly take a knife from my jacket. This knife has firegirl's name on it. She'll die by my hand! But I keep on walking, careful not to let her realise that I know she's there… It'll be a surprise, just for her. Just for fucking her.

As we reach a curve in the river I slow a little, and try and find my target; difficult when you can't see them. Then, an idea comes into my mind. Scooping up a couple of stones in one hand I turn around and violently throw them behind me. There is a squeal of pain and I let out a call of triumph as I hear the sound of running footsteps. Sprinting after the sound, my knife raised high, I catch glimpse of a foot and dive for it, tackling the person to the ground. They fall with a shout and quickly, eyes practically blinded by joy, I pin the person down with my body, and put my knife to their neck… her neck… It's not firegirl who was following me. It was Marissa.

My eyes widen as I catch a glimpse of her red hair and for a second I'm frozen, staring down at her, then I throw myself backwards, shocked. She was following me?! Marissa lies there, a look of terror on her face as she looks at me, propping herself up on her thin elbows. "What… why were you…" I barely manage to stutter. Memories of the kiss come back and I'm forced to shake them out of my head, not wanting to embarrass myself. "Marissa?" I say, and my voice is childish.

"Yeah. Lykos?" she lets out a weak laugh, mimicking my own tone as she does so. Shaking her red hair out of her face, she gets gingerly to her feet and I do the same. Oh my God, I threw myself on top of her! She must think I'm a rapist or something… Clenching my fists, I slowly replace the knife in my jacket, never taking my eyes away from hers. "Sorry about your sister." she says in a quiet voice. For a second, I want to laugh and tell her I hated Winnow, but then I think better of it. I too am silent and I stare at the ground.

"Thanks." I reply gruffly. "Have you seen firegirl? I thought you were her. I'm supposed to be hunting her… Sorry about the whole… knife at neck thing…"

Marissa grins, and wipes a little blood away from her nose, smearing the red stuff on her face. We're still next to the river, and she doesn't seem to have noticed that she hasn't got rid of the blood. Leaning down to dip my fingers in the water, I step forwards at her. For a second a look of bemused fear comes onto her face as she watches my fingers apprehensively… I gently bring them to her face and wipe the rest of the blood off. She's looking deeply into my eyes as I do so, but I'm too embarrassed, staring straight at my feet. When I step backwards, I finally find the courage to look into her eyes.

"Firegirl was at the Cornucopia when I stole some of your supplies," she says in an almost matter-of-fact tone. It's hard not to laugh- she's so open about how she stole stuff. If it was her who blew up the supplies, I think she'd probably just admit it and continue normally with the conversation. A rueful smile comes onto my lips. "But I haven't seen her since then. Nice to know you're going to jump on top of firegirl…"

We laugh, albeit a little awkwardly, and I move to walk away, not wanting to prolong anything, when I feel her catch my hand. Her hand is cool and soft, in contrast to my own boiling hot, slightly wet and rough hand. Turning around, I look almost curiously at our held hands. They look almost unreal, unshown before in these Games. My heart skips a beat. Moving back towards her, I stand inches away from her, her body pressing a little against my own. My head slowly descends until our lips are centimetres apart. Haven't we been in this situation before?

And then our lips meet again, and it's like there's a cacophany of fireworks going off in my head. Her lips are so soft and as they move gently with mine… It's like magic. Total, total magic; this is more than firegirl and loverboy could ever have. This is… she is my unintended. True star-crossed lovers, sent in the Games to kill each other, and we fall in love? I… I don't even want to win anymore. She has to win, not me, because I can't imagine living without her. How could I have lived fifteen years without this girl? My true other half… She pulls away and stares me in the eyes, and her arms wind gently around her neck. There is a look of slight fear and curiosity on her face- neither of us know what we're doing, but that's the best part of it.

"I love you." she whispers, and I can see the truth of it in those amber eyes. But what about me? Clove… So this is the time, is it? The time I chose between Clove and Marissa. I bite my lip and for a few moments I'm silent… But no. I know the truth, and I'll say it to her.

"I love you too."

Leaning down to kiss her again, my hands on her waist, we are interrupted by a loud cannon fire. Leaping apart, we look at the skies and then at each other in shock. Then, I let out a whoop. "Somebody got Katniss!" I laugh, and look at her with bright eyes. But there are tears on her lashes, now, and I can see a look of colossal pain in her amber eyes.

"One step closer to killing me." she mutters. Then, shaking her hair out of her face, she gives me a fierce look. Then, leaning forwards to kiss me one last time, she runs off into the woods. I stand there, totally dumbstruck. She… she kissed me again. But what did she mean, one step closer to killing her? Is she crazy enough to think I'll kill her? Once upon a time, that was an option. Now? No way in hell.

But I've got to go back to where Marvel is- somebody has died. We said we'd meet when firegirl died, didn't we? I bet Cato got her, just to annoy Clove…

But as I run back to the clearing, I hear another cannon. Another cannon… so somebody else is dead. Oh yeah, Marvel will have killed Rue now firegirl is dead and there's no need for her. That'll explain it. But when I arrive at the clearing twenty or so minutes later… I don't find anyone. The clearing is deserted, with several splatters of blood on the floor. Looking around, shocked, I grip my knives. What's going on? All thoughts of Marissa go out of my mind… Who the fuck died? Panic fills me- what if Clove is dead? Or Marvel?

And then, music comes to my ears. Loud music, mockingjay music… It's a haunting, beautiful melody, but it sounds… sad. As I stand there, in the middle of the clearing, with my eyes turned up to heaven… It sounds like a funeral song. Tears come to my eyes at it's complex beauty. It's… it's…

I hear running footsteps and whirl around, to see Clove and Cato standing there, weapons raised high. Both open their mouths to shout questions at me, but then, at the sound of the music… They stop. Gazing mesmerised, they stand on either side of me as we stare up at the skies. This must be a good image for all these Capitol people as we stand there, looking like we're having some kind of epiphany. The music pulses and beats everywhere, the birds harmonising to make such amazing sounds…

After what seems like hours, it dies out and we are left standing there stupidly, our eyes wide. For a few moments we stand in silence, then Cato turns to me, a look of slight humiliation on his face. "Where's Marvel?" he says shortly, walking around the clearing and prodding at the blood stains with his sword. I shrug, and move forwards to look for bodies. None are found; the hovercraft must've already come. So where the fuck is Marvel? There were two cannons… What if one of them was for firegirl, or Rue, and the other was for Marvel? And firegirl or Rue got away…

"What if Marvel's dead?" I say quietly. For a few moments we all look at each other, considering this possibility. Then, Cato shrugs, his face blank and emotionless. After a long moment of silence, he says,

"We're going back to the lake," he says. "We'll find out who's dead tonight, won't we?"

XXX

And we do. That night, two faces come up on the deathcount. Marvel and Rue.

Firegirl does not appear. So she's alive.

But that doesn't matter to me… Marvel is dead. Gone. Somebody killed the boy from 1, who only twenty four hours ago I had been mocking. The boy who, in these Games, I could count as a friend. He may have been foolish and pampered but… I cared about him. And… as his headshot disappears from the sky, I feel a sort of numbness inside of me. The last time I'll ever see that lighthearted, calm boy who was always the voice of reason, the boy who calmed the rest of us down. With that dark, messy hair and those kind brown eyes… He was merciful. He was… and he's dead.

But with his death, other things are brought to view. There are only three of us Careers left, now, and soon the tension will become too much and we will split up. And I'll be alone.

And from the sour look on Cato's face, I can see the time of splitting is soon. And then, I will become the prey.

**Aww... Poor Marvel :( **

**A review only takes a couple of seconds :) Thank you all for reading.**


	12. The Announcement

**Short one, sorry guys :) Mostly consists of Lyove and Lykissa**

Silently, I watch the dark skies. Clove, Cato and I are sitting by the lake, staring moodily at our sparse supplies. Honestly, if the unspoken rule about cannibalism didn't exist, I'd so eat Cato. And you know what the odd thing is? I'd actually rather enjoy it. Titus, a tribute from about ten years ago who used to eat other tributes, got eliminated by the Gamemakers to ensure the victor wasn't insane. Why does it matter? The Games would drive anyone insane- when I win, and get out of here, I'm going to be a dribbling maniac. That I can promise.

Cato is hungrily staring at what's left of our supplies- one canteen half full of water, two strips of dried turkey, half a loaf of stale bread, and a handful of blackberries. We're rationing them, although I'm almost certain that Cato takes more than me and Clove, since he seems a lot better fed than us. While I'm clutching my stomach from hunger pains, he looks rather content. Arsehole.

"So who's left in the Games?" says Clove grumpily, and I turn my head towards her to see her checking out her appearance using the blade of her knife. She looks almost critically at the slight smattering of pimples beginning to appear on her forehead, and when I grin, shoots me an angry look. Raising my eyebrows and barely stifling laughter, I look away. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to make fun of a girl using a KNIFE as a mirror. Registering her question, I stare at the rippling water of the lake, inches away from my toes. For a second I consider, before putting my fingers in the now slightly murky water and swishing them around experimentally. I can't see the bottom, even when I swirl it up. Removing my hand, as if burned, I glance at her.

"Thresh, firegirl, loverboy, us, and…" I falter for a second, not knowing how I should refer to Marissa. Or if I should refer to her at all- maybe it's best the others think she's dead? But Clove narrows her eyes at me, and sinks her knife into the ground with a look of mocking fury on her pale face.

"And ginger," she says in a harsh, slightly condescending tone. For a few moments I glare at her, hurt, before she laughs and says in a mock-baby voice, "Do you miss your little ginger, Lykos? Do you miss her pretty red hair, and her foxy face… How far have you got with her? Has she got a foxy body too?" she bursts into raucous cackles and Cato chuckles. A rush of anger runs through my body as I look away from the both of them. So she's going to act like nothing ever happened, then? Why is it, in the day, she never acts like she likes me? At night she spends the long hours in my arms, head nestled into the crook of my neck. She whispers things in her sleep.

Giving her a dirty look, I step towards our tiny food pile and take a blackberry in my hand. The others watch silently as I toss it into the air and catch it neatly in my mouth. Chewing it, I turn back to them with a slightly triumphant smile. Hahahahah! I've never actually caught a berry when I've done that before; perfect timing to finally do it! Sitting back down, I savour the slightly bitter taste of the berry. I love blackberries; they were a rarity back home, and I was able to scavenge them, once, off a bush on the outlines of the district. The ones here, in this arena, are even better.

"Wonder if anyone died today…" I say absentmindedly, picking the seeds out of my teeth with a dirty fingernail. Cato shakes his head, his face sombre.

"Didn't hear any cannons…" he looks longingly at the food pile. "When are we going to eat? I can't win these Games on an empty stomach, you know…"

Clove gives him a nasty look, and then laughs, shaking her head in cynical amusement. Getting up, she squares up to him and looks him up and down, fiddling with a knife in one hand. Staring straight into his eyes, she says in a quietly dangerous voice, "Who says you're going to be the victor, fatass?" Then, backing away, she comes to sit down next to me and looks at him in a comically curious way. He is thinking hard, irritated by his lack of an answer, and she laughs in a satisfied way. "Had a little think about what's going to happen when you and me come face to face after we split? Won't be pretty."

That's the first time anyone has mentioned the split. And from the look on Cato's face as he stares at me… I can tell it'll be soon. Only three of us left. When the next one dies… when the next one dies, then we'll split and fight. As he stares at me, with those ice blue eyes, I can tell that it'll be me he goes after first. He's judged me the weakest, now.

XXX

"Attention, attention all tributes," I am awakened from my sleepy stupor by the sound of a voice. It's Claudius Templesmith, the commentator of the Games, and he's addressing us… What does he want? A feast, I'm guessing- that's usually what announcements in the arena are for. If so, then we've got nothing to fear… should be a laugh, a feast. Plenty of blood, and maybe we'll even catch that wretched firegirl. Wouldn't that be nice? Catching Clove's eye, I smile at her and she smirks back, mouthing the word "Feast" at me. Nodding excitedly, we turn our eyes towards the sky and wait, eagerly, for the announcements.

"I'd like to alert you all to a little rule change…" A rule change? What the hell is the rule change going to be? There are only two rules in these Games- don't step off your metal plate before the sixty seconds have ended, and that's over now, and don't eat other tributes… Are they changing the cannibalism rule? Can they fucking read my mind!? "The previous rule allowing only one victor has been… suspended. Two victors may be crowned, now, as long as those tributes are in an alliance and are a male and a female. This will be the only announcement."

For a few seconds I am totally silent. The whole arena is silent. I can barely breathe; two victors can win?! Two victors! Oh my God, a male and a female as long as they are in an alliance… Marissa. I can go and find Marissa! My eyes immediately brighten and I my heart almost stops. All is not hopeless after all! This must be fate working; I can win the Games, and still stay with her. But then, turning around, I remember something else. Clove. She's staring at me with those deep, dark eyes, her thin lips in a circle of shock. Cato is fast asleep, snoring like a warthog… Instictively, I glance towards him and then back at Clove. My breath quickens; she'll want me to ally with her… But I can't do that. I don't love her, although I do like her as a friend and maybe even a little more…

God my hormones are messed up.

For a few seconds Clove just stares deep into my sea-green eyes and clenches her fists, a look of shock and confusion on her face. Oh Clove, oh bittersweet, crazy, sadistic, evil beautiful Clove… If only I had never met Marissa, and could go and kiss you without feeling guilt or pain. For a second I think about abandoning Marissa and settling for the girl with the knives… But picturing her face in my mind, that sly face, I can't do it. My heart beats only for the fox, not the wildcat.

But the wildcat has other ideas.

She walks over to me, straight to my face and stands inches away from me, staring up into my face with a look of conflict on her face. Staring at me, she is silent for a second, before, as one, we look at Cato. He'd be such an easy kill, right now, fast asleep… Clove brings up a hand to stroke my cheek and I do not move away. My heart and mind are screaming for me to run and find Marissa, but my body is reacting in… Other ways. Clove is not beautiful- she's pretty, but not stunning. To most, she'd still look childish, with her freckles, slim body with minimal curves and wide eyes with those long eyelashes. But to me, knowing her, she's as demented and sexy as any adult.

"Lykos…" she says in a slightly hoarse voice. "We… we can do this together. Kill Cato now… The rest will be easy."

My hands are winding round her waist and I try, desperately, to stop them… But fail. She is pulled in close to me now, and our lips are inches apart. I can feel every single curve in her body, and I love her warmth near me. Shutting my eyes, I bring one hand up to stroke her hair, trying to imagine that it's Marissa I'm embracing to stop my heart aching… But I can feel tears pricking at my eyes. Why am I doing this to her? Leading her on isn't going to help either of us. I need to tell her that I love Marissa, and can't do anything…

But as I'm thinking this, I feel her lips on mine. They aren't like Marissa's- they're rougher and thinner, but still nice, although in a different way. I find myself being absorbed into her kiss, as her hands come up to twist themselves into my hair as she kisses me passionately. It's going too fast, not as gentle and romantic as my kisses with Marissa- her tongue swipes at my lips dominantly and I, shocked, feel my mouth opening. What is she doing? I've never heard of this before! What am I supposed to do… Her tongue slips into my mouth, and it's not as pleasant as all that. Although I'm enjoying the kiss, and it's not that she's a bad kisser but… I don't like the feeling of someone's tongue invading my mouth. Isn't it supposed to be the boy who does that, anyway?

I DON'T KNOW, SHUT UP LYKOS AND JUST DO SOMETHING!

She draws back her own tongue and bites my lip, as I feel her begin to open her mouth. For a few seconds I'm confused- what does she want me to do? Then I get it. Hesitantly, slightly afraid, I slip my tongue into her mouth and she moans in delight as we begin to kiss again. This is even more unpleasant! I'm good with just normal kissing, but if this is what she wants… No, I can't do this. An image of my love from District 5 comes up into my mind… Slowly, I draw away. Clove growls in annoyance. Pressing her forehead to my own, staring straight into my eyes, she whispers,

"Kiss me back, damn you."

My heart wrenches for me to do it but, gently, I step away from her. It's not right. A look of shock and disappointment comes quickly into her eyes, replaced by a look of hurt in short succession. She steps backwards, clenching her fists, and I can see tears in her eyes. "What?" she says, looking at me. But I can't look at her. Turning my back to the girl from 2, I stare out towards the lake, slightly embarrassed. "Lykos!" she grabs me by the shoulders and whirls me around to face her, grabbing my face in both hands and forcing me to look at her. Tears are coming from my eyes, dribbling down my cheeks. "Lykos, fucking speak to me!"

"Clove… I'm sorry." I mutter, and then, I stroke her face gently. A pearly tear dribbles down her cheek from one eye, and I move to embrace her. Holding her in my arms, I whisper with surprising gentleness, "Shh now. Clove, I care about you a lot. I love you as a friend, but… I don't love you like that. You're like my sister, and I'd give anything for you but… I'm in love with Marissa. I'm in love with her, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. Do you understand?"

For a few moments she just sobs into my shoulder. Then she turns to look at me with tearful, accusing eyes. "So you'd rather she lived than me?"

We stare at each other. I'm hurt by what she has said… but eventually, she shakes her head, and holds me at arms length. "I'm sorry. I don't want to put you in this position… Cato wants you dead. He'll want an alliance with me and him… You'd best not stay around. If you stay around he'll kill you. Run, Lykos, go and find her…" She becomes silent. Then, a quiet chuckle emerges from her lips. "Fox and the pussycat. Perfect for each other… I love you. Be careful… and don't you dare get yourself killed!" she laughs for a few seconds and then stops. Quickly, she pecks me one last time on the lips before giving me a gentle push towards the woods.

"Go on, Lykos. Find her and… May the Odds be Ever in Your Favour."

XXX

It's morning by the time I find Marissa. Well, really, it was her who found me while I was stumbling about in the bushes. One moment I was staring blindly into endless leaves and branches, and the next I caught a glimpse of red. Or rather, ginger.

Forcing myself in the direction of the red, I pull myself out into a clearing and find myself face to face with the very girl I've been seeking out for the last several hours. And there is a grin on her face as she observes me, her red hair a crazy mane around her face. Unlike most of the other girls in the Games, her hair is no longer out, and it is about the most tangled, impressive thing I have ever seen in my life. She does look half wild, with those slightly too sharp teeth and those wide amber eyes.

"Having fun in the bushes?" she teases and I chuckle, smiling at her. She seems to be a lot less apprehensive than she has been in the past, and a lot less nervous. Somehow, I get the feeling she's gone slightly mad… I welcome that idea. Aren't we all slightly mad, now, after all? "God, I could hear you from the other end of the arena. You passed by firegirl and loverboy's little hideout about sixteen times… I followed you."

I chuckle, raising my eyebrows. "And you didn't stop me and point it out?" I ask, stepping a little closer to her. She's only centimetres, if that, shorter than me, and she looks straight at me as she speaks. All of her previous nervousness has evaporated, replaced by pure mocking wit.

"Oh no. It was far too much fun."

Stepping up to her, I lean down to kiss her gently on the lips. Marissa returns the kiss for a few seconds, before breaking away and looking at me with affectionate eyes. I smile down at her, my heart beating faster and faster as I stare into those wild, animalistic eyes. They're truly like a fox's, with those huge pupils and the urgent look to them… I could sink into her eyes and never look away. Grabbing her shoulders, we press our foreheads together in a moment of togetherness, staring into each other's eyes. She strokes my cheek.

"When I found out we could ally up," I say in a quiet voice, looking straight at her. "You don't know how I felt, Marissa. It was crazy. It was fucking crazy."

She stares back at me, and a challenging look comes into her own expression. Then, it softens and she looks at me from under heavy eyelids. She smirks, and I feel a thrill of excitement running though me as her face gets even closer to mine. "Yes I do," she replies, in a soft voice. Although she's playing it like this, I can tell that she's nervous. Her body is shaking slightly, and I can hear her heart beating faster and faster. "I felt it too."

And we're kissing again; intensely, passionately, and I feel like I never want to move again. This is bliss. This is total bliss. This girl is like my puzzle piece, my other half, my everything… we break away and look at each other again, and I smile gently, staring deep into her face. Bringing a hand up to stroke her hair, I say, "I love you. Will you… um…" the question is burning with in me, but I can't say it. It's difficult to ask this sort of thing, okay?! Very slowly, looking at my feet, I mutter, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

For a second she is silent and I stand there dreading her answer. But then, I feel her arms wind around my waist and, looking down at her, she smiles a little anxiously. And then, quietly, she replies,

"Yes."

We start kissing again and, before I know it, my hands are on her behind. And one thing inevitably leads to another and soon, we're very well acquainted with each other's bodies. We didn't go the whole way of course, not on live TV nor this early in a relationship, but it's… it's amazing.

Well, Derry is eating his words back home.

I HAVE got a girlfriend.

**And Lykos manages to show his childish side ;) Thanks for the read, and reviews please?**

**Lykos: Listen to the lady. Please! If she doesn't get enough reviews, she abuses us characters!**

**Marissa: She's crazy! **

**Clove: Please... help us...**

**Me: Hahaha! You guys are so... funny... Anyways, a review would be fantastic. Thanks guys, next chapter out soon! **


	13. An Unwelcome Reunion

Silence. That's all my ears register as I awaken with a familiar warm weight on my arm. For a second I, forgetting the night before, turn my head to wish Clove good morning; instead of her chocolate brown hair I am greeted with a flash of red. For a second I'm confused, then I remember. A smile comes onto my face as I lie back, basking in the late morning sun. It's a warm day, and the sky is clear of clouds. Perhaps the Gamemakers did this to signify the new good luck in the arena. With a yawn, I extract my arm from under the sleepy Marissa, and rub my eyes.

For a few moments I sit alone, before I hear a telltale rustle and turn my head to discover that her amber eyes are slightly open, and she's looking up at me blearily. I grin down at her, and brush a stray strand of hair out of her face. She smiles. "You're up too early," she says, yawning and displaying her small, rather sharp teeth. Then, sitting up, she puts her head on her knees and looks at me. "We should go back to sleep. Not like there's anything else to do."

"Maybe we'll be the first tributes in the history of the Games to die of boredom." I joke, and she laughs, before pulling me in for a quick kiss. Pulling backwards, she ruffles my hair and smirks in an almost Clove-ish manor… I need to get that girl out of my head. I love the foxfaced girl from District 5, who I can imagine a future with, who I can be comfortable with… With Clove, all I'd have to look forward to would be a life of pain and heartbreak, that I am certain of. Marissa is the safe option, the option I need in my life. I… I need her. The dangerous one, the wildcat, is not what I need.

I need the fox.

And when I gaze into those complex, half-mad eyes, I know that she is the only one for me. I don't care about any of these other tributes who pretend to have romance, the kids from 12- screw them. There is no way they can feel what I'm feeling now, and they can burn in hell for even thinking it.

It's only when Marissa waves a hand playfully in front of my eyes that I realise I was daydreaming. Oh God, not again… Why do I always look like I'm asleep when I'm looking at someone? Perhaps there's a reason why everyone thinks I'm insane… She probably thinks I'm insane, too. I must seem pretty damn creepy. But then again, she did stalk me and several others through the woods. Who's the more creepy one here?

She lets out a raw laugh, rolling her eyes at me. "You're mad." the girl says, staring at me, wide eyed. She really is crazy, but she'll get less so once we get out of the Games. Everyone's gone insane in here… she's just slightly more open about her madness than the rest of us. Or maybe she just approaches it in a different way.

"At least I'm not ginger," I tease back, and narrows her eyes, squaring up to me. We're inches apart, now, and we're staring right into each other's eyes. "You look like a fox."

"At least I don't look like a girl," Marissa shoots back, grabbing a lock of my tawny hair and winding it around her finger and giving me a challenging look. We're both wide awake now, no denying. She's pressing up against me- frenzied memories of last night come back to me and I sigh as I move in to kiss her again but, at the very last moment, she ducks away. Seeing my disappointment, she winks mysteriously. "We need to keep going. I'm starving."

And we walk off into the woods- we keep walking until sunset. I don't know where she's going, but I follow her regardless. She seems to know the woods a lot better than me- I guess she actually bothered to learn the basic layout of the woods, whereas I just followed the other Careers blindly. Honestly, I seem to be following everyone blindly at the moment… Maybe I should actually try and find my way around alone? No. That would take time, and with not many of us left it wouldn't be worthwhile.

We stop walking when it must be about midnight, and flop down to the floor, exhausted. My stomach is hurting with hunger, and the back of my throat is dry. I never had this with the Careers, I think grumpily, as we settle down to sleep. A boring and uneventful day, and we haven't eaten or drunk anything. In fact, I'd be rather irritated if she hadn't chosen to sleep in my arms.

That semi makes up for it.

XXX

The next morning, we get up and keep walking. Well, Marissa keeps walking, always on her toes; I slouch after her getting increasingly irritable. I thought she said, yesterday morning, that she was "starving"? I guess poorer Districts are more used to not having as much food; I can't deal with it. Although I never had the most generous portions I always had SOMETHING to eat, be it a stale crust of bread or a mountain of oysters… Salivating at the thought of all that salty, succulent flesh, I shut my eyes and imagine a vast ocean of water in front of me. Water, sparkling water, and little silver fishes flitting around in the shallows… the smell of salt and brine… the shouts of children playing on the soft sand… the fishermen shouting cheerily to each other as they gut fish on the docks… the feeling of water under my toes…

Then I do feel it. The feeling of water; although from it's warmth, it's definitely not the sea. Opening my eyes, I look down to discover that I'm standing in a river- the exact same river Marvel and I raced across, almost a week ago! Excitedly, I turn around to see Marissa smiling triumphantly, standing at the water's edge with her arms crossed.

"I knew it was here." she says matter-of-factly, as I wade into the water and moan with joy at the feeling of cool water soothing my aching muscles. I submerge myself up to the neck in it and tread water, then duck my head under the surface for a few seconds. Coming back up, wet and grinning like a child, I laugh and beckon her into the water. She shakes her head, a sad smile on her face.

"I can't swim. I thought you'd like this though, and I've got iodine so we can fill up our water bottles. Can't drink it unpurified, you know…" Marissa rambles on for a while, as I splash around childishly in the water. She takes her bone-dry canteen out of her bag and scoops up water into it, purifying it with several drops of iodine. She shakes it up, then sits on the riverbank with her feet resting slightly in the water. The look on her face is almost wistful. Half an hour passes- I'm bored by the time the water is done, and I can see she is too. Silently, we stand and walk onwards; we go downriver. It's unspoken, but we're going towards the lake, where we can find food.

When we eventually get there- after searching around the outskirts to make sure it's deserted, we walk to the water's edge. The water is milky and I can't see the bottom… My eyes widen in fear. It's all murky- anything could be down there. My heart pumps faster as I look at it, moving apprehensively. Could something throw itself from the depths to catch me and drag me down to the bottom? I don't think so, as long as I stay as far as I can away from the water… What if they have my dad's corpse? What if they put him down there and he'll- no, I can't think that. He's lost underneath the depths; his body is probably rotted and crawling with maggots by now.

I didn't do it. I didn't push him. I didn't try to make him drown. I DIDN'T!

Okay, I need to calm down. I can't… it's just a stupid, childish phobia. There's no need for me to be afraid, no need for me to fear anything or anyone… I'm Lykos Danio, and I'm going to win these Games. I'm fine. I'm not a murderer! Oh God, why am I having a mental breakdown now?!

Taking a long, deep breath, I keep walking, keeping as far away as I can from the water. As long as I'm not too near it, nothing can happen. I promise that to myself as I keep walking, determinedly keeping my eyes on the ground ahead. I cannot succumb to my own weakness, not now. Marissa slows, turning around to glance at me.

"You alright?" she says shortly, and I nod. She walks backwards for a few seconds, eyes firmly on my face, before raising her eyebrows and turning back around to keep walking. I follow her glumly, trying to ignore the feeling of dread growing in my stomach. Where are we going? I get the feeling that she doesn't like including me in her plans- she's not very good at working with people, I suppose. As she's been alone for so long, she's not used to consulting people about things.

"Where are we going?" I ask her eventually, after we finish a complete lap of the lake. She glances at me, and I can see that she's irritated. There is a furrow in her brow, and she's nibbling a piece of loose skin from her bottom teeth.

"Just around here, I stashed a load of food early on the Games when I could steal from your supply pile," she says, and her voice is brooding. She sighs. "But I can't rememeber exactly where… I thought I was supposed to have a good memory." she complains, going into the bushes. For a few seconds, I hear the sound of shuffling. Then, it stops.

Then, there's the sound of a triumphant laugh. A male laugh. For a second I'm confused, then Marissa comes bolting out of the bushes a look of terror on her face. For a second I just stare at her, not realising what's going on, then she pushes me with a scream of, "Run, you idiot!" But I'm frozen, paralysed with shock. It's only then that Cato and Clove stumble out of the undergrowth with looks of bloodthirsty joy on their faces. For a few seconds we stare at each other, confused, then a look of evil joy comes into Cato's eyes.

"Hello, Lykos! How've you been, traitor?!" his sword stabs inches away from my shoulder and I hiss in shock, grabbing a long knife in each hand. Backing away, I watch warily as they look at me. Cato looks joyous… Clove is not looking at me. I desperately seek out those dark eyes, needing mercy but knowing I will not find it. My heart sinks, and I stare to where Marissa is running. I have to run- I can't beat them. So, taking a deep breath, I run as fast as I can. I hear Cato's laugh, as he yells, "We're coming, pussycat!"

Their footsteps are close behind me as I run, gripping my knives tight. Marissa emerges from the woods and runs by my side- she's as fast as I am, if not faster. The two of us run, side by side, towards the clearing where we can fight them better. Pelting as fast as I can, holding my knives so hard my knuckles are white, I feel terror running through my body. Oh God, oh God… I knew this time would come, but why like this?! Running as fast as I can, I watch a knife soar over my shoulder… At first I think it was aimed at me, but then, as it catches Marissa in the arm and she screams with pain, I realise that Clove was aiming for her. Anger boils up inside of me as I grab Marissa and yank her along, becoming more desperate with every footstep. We're an easy kill and we know it…

Then it occurs to me.

We'll never get away…

We can't escape them…

I'm going to have to do something absolutely crazy to make sure Marissa survives. With me… sacrificing myself… she'll be able to get away. She could win this! I stop. She stops too for a few seconds, screaming at me, pearly tears running down her pale cheeks, but I yell at her to keep running. And to never look back. It feels like time is running in slow motion as I shout at her to go, to save herself. Cato and Clove are only metres away from me, and are crowing at the easy kill, as Marissa keeps running and I stop. My brain is screaming at me to go, to escape myself but… But I can't. I have to do this. Heart pounding, I turn around to face them. I am not going down without a fight. They stop in front of me, puffing, evidently shocked. For a few moments we just stare at each other, me and my old allies. It's a tense silence.

"Go after ginger, Clove," Cato says, and his voice is rough with excitement. Clove nods, and runs past me, slamming into me as she goes. I fall sideways at the force of her push, but find myself being lifted off my feet by the huge monster from District 2. He's leering into my face, and I can see the crazed sadism in his eyes. Desperately, I writhe.

"CLOVE! CLOVE! DON'T FUCKING DO THIS CLOVE! HE CAN'T CONTROL YOU!"

Cato backhands me across the face, and the metallic taste of blood fills my mouth. Spitting it out, it dribbles horribly down my chin as he glares at me with true hatred in those icey eyes. He surveys me for a second, hands at my neck. But the footsteps have stopped- Clove's stop running. Looking over Cato's shoulder I see she is staring at us, a look of conflict in those eyes. Cato turns too, and sees her hesitating. He snarls.

"Clove, do you want to win these Games?! Kill her, or I'll finish you, her, AND your little boyfriend and win myself!" For a second, she pauses. Then, she starts pursuing Marissa again, set in her task. She doesn't even acknowledge me. Doesn't even damn acknowledge me.

"CLOVE! CLOVE! CLOVE!" I scream after her, furious tears filling my eyes as I writhe like a fish out of water in Cato's strong arms. I'm desperate! She can't kill her, she won't- I won't stop screaming! One of my arms slices wildly and I slash Cato across the face. Blood pours out of the wound and he yells in pain, dropping me and grabbing his wound, agonized. Doubled over, blood pouring out of his wound, I ignore him and move to sprint after Clove. She's metres away from Marissa, and is moving her knife arm to throw… Leaping through the air, I tackle her to the ground. The girl shrieks with anger and pushes me straight in the face; I fall backwards with a yelp of pain as I hear my nose smash. For a second I think she's going to try and attack me again, but she moves to run after Marissa again.

As I lie there, bleeding from my shattered nose and mouth, I pray that my red-haired love will get away. I want her to be my last thought. But I'm denied my last thought, as I feel myself lifted, again, off the ground and dropped roughly. My arms and legs splaying out, I moan in pain as a hand grabs my hair and pulls me to my feet. I find myself staring into the incredibly bloodied face of Cato, and his lip is pulled back in a snarl. Running forwards, he slams my head, as hard as he can, into the hard metal of the Cornucopia. With a shout, I see stars for a second, before I feel thick hands around my neck. The sound of a girl screaming… I don't know whether it's Clove or Marissa._ I don't know… I don't know…_

Everything's going in and out of focus as I crawl towards the lake, being punched and kicked and thrown by Cato, until I eventually make it to the water's edge. I don't know why I've come back here but… Cato grabs me by the hair and slams my face into the murky water under the water… _NO! NO! I CAN'T BE IN MURKY WATER!_ Tears of horror and pain fall down my face as I struggle, screaming, as Cato holds me underwater, viciously cutting off my breathing…

_ My father is coming. I can sense it. He's come to get revenge on me for living while he's dead… Winnow used to tell me that he was going to crawl out of the water and come and drag me under and drown me…_

_And I'd just become another rotted corpse like him…_

But really…

_Am I any better than a rotted corpse? I'm dead inside, right? Clove's killing the girl I love, the only good thing in my life, and Cato's killing me… So I'm little better than a rotted corpse…_

_My father is smiling at me. His skull, white and green and so many different colours… He goes in and out of focus as my head spins again. I drift off._

XXX

I wake up to find myself breathing. I'm on land… What happened? My head feels like somebody's been stamping on it. With a weak moan I roll over, and the sound of a voice hits my ears. A soft voice, a gentle voice. It's not Cato or Clove. It's Marissa. Opening my eyes slightly, I catch a glimpse of red hair. My hand reaches out to grab it, to make sure it's real… But I touch skin instead. She's intertwined her hand with my own. But… am I alive? I saw my father, Cato drowned me… Didn't he?

"Marissa? What… what happened?" I ask, and find my voice is hoarse. It's late afternoon, by the look of things, and the sun is boiling in the skies. "Am I… Are we dead?"

For a few seconds she is silent, and a feeling of dread appears in my stomach. Then, she laughs. A ringing laugh, a sweet laugh… Her life. The only laugh I could ever love.

"Cato thought he'd killed you. We all thought you were dead… you completely stopped moving. I got away from Clove when Cato shouted that you were dead…" a grim look appears on her face. "She had a mental breakdown. Thought she was going to kill him, actually. I took advantage and went to find your body… But your heart was still beating and there was no cannon, so I dragged you into the woods. You've only been asleep a few hours. But when you were out…"

Out of her pocket, she produces a silver parachute with a medium sized box attached. For a few moments I just stare at it, bemused, and she smiles.

"It's a Sponsor Gift. It's yours… well, the note's from your mentor. I looked in the box… There's food and bandages and a pot of medicine for infection. Quite a good haul."

Setting the box down in front of me, she opens it and begins to treat my wounds. I've got plenty of them, apparently, and she pulls various disgusted faces as she removes dirt from some of them. I wail and complain like a baby until she'd done, and when I'm eventually healed enough for her satisfaction, she lets me eat. Bread and potatoes, that's what we've been sent- good food for filling you up. As we eat our meal and drink from our canteen, I feel full and rested for the first time in a while. Although the wounds are painful, her arms are there, and her lips.

But still my mind wonders… Why did Clove have a "mental breakdown" when she was told I died? She tried to kill me, for God's sake! She tried to kill Marissa! A burst of hatred runs through me.

Today was more interesting than I originally thought it would be.

**AUTHORS NOTE**

**Not my best chapter, but a bit of a filler. Don't hate me for Clove, the next chapter shows why she did what she did, etcetera... Lykos won't hate her, don't worry! Next chapter out as soon as possible :)**


	14. The Feast

**Seriously, the end of this chapter had me in tears. Don't know if it'll do the same to you guys, because of my vaguely mediocre writing, but I've tried ;) Just to say, I personally liked Thresh a lot.**

The sound of the anthem wakes me from my slight daze. My whole body still aches from the episode with Cato and Clove- my heart is smarting too. I thought I left Clove, at least, on reasonably good conditions? She's always been a manipulative sort… Perhaps she just wanted me to believe all of that. Maybe she didn't even want me to work with her at all, and just viewed me as a threat against her and Cato… Well I'll never know, will I? Either she'll be dead or I'll be dead in a couple of days…

Doubt there'll be time for much conversation.

Sitting up, I rouse Marissa from her sleep. She opens her eyes blearily as I point up to the skies; we found a cave a few hours ago and were trying to catch up on some much needed sleep. Cato got me pretty badly- I knew I'd never hold out too well against him in a fight, but he absolutely humiliated me. At least my wits won out against his though, right? He thought I was dead… and I survived. It'll be his downfall, leaving someone to die. I'm surprised he hasn't learned better of it yet.

Crawling my way to the mouth of our tiny cave, I stick my head out, keeping my hands firmly grasped around two sharp knives. I'm not taking chances. Looking up to the sky, I feel Marissa crawling up beside me as we lie flat on the ground, holding up our heads by our elbows. We aren't taking any chances of being spotted. A loudly amplified voice- Claudius Templesmith's, the Games' announcer. I wonder what he wants? We listen, ears pricked up… and the news is half a blessing half a curse. My expression changes at least a thousand times during his speech, and when the trumpets go again to signal the end of the announcement… A feast. He's inviting us to a feast- there's something we all need desperately. Food, that's what me and Marissa need- I don't know about the others.

But to go to a feast? That means fighting it out for it- if everyone needs something, then everyone will most likely go… I guess they've got bored of watching us skulk around and stalk each other. They want some action, some blood. Because a feast always results in fatalities.

"I'll go," I say flatly, turning around to my red-haired companion. She opens her mouth to argue, pride wounded, but I interrupt her. "You can't use weapons. They want the fighters to go and massacre each other." but she still glares at me stubbornly. Sitting up, she gives me a cold look.

"I'm just as much in these Games as you are, Lykos," she says slightly haughtily. Irritated, I shake my head, trying my best to explain it to her. She can't go in! What if Clove sees her again? She'd be dead for sure! "If you're going, then I'm going with you. Even if I don't fight, I know I can't, there are other ways I can help. I'm not entirely defenseless, you know."

Fiercely, I grab both of her shoulders and look deep into those angry, amber eyes. I can't let her go! I'm not even sure that I want to go- we all know that Cato could take me, I bet Thresh could too, and Clove and Katniss might be able to at a distance. Honestly, it's suicidal for even me to go, and I've trained as a Career for years! Damn this, how can I explain it to her? I should tell her I love her, that I can't risk her… But I can't risk that, can I? She's too smart and headstrong to take that as an argument. Grinding my teeth, I say, "Don't you understand that I don't want to risk you?! I've lost practically everyone else in my life, and if you die too… I won't let you. I won't go."

We glare at each other, both wanting to prove the other wrong. She's smarter than me, but I can throw knives almost as well as Clove can. This is a fighting situation, not one where we have to outsmart others! Slowly, Marissa's eyes soften. She looks away for a second, then back at me. "I don't want to lose you either. So why don't we settle with both going? I've got an idea…"

And I have to go along with it. We're both starving hungry, and there's no other way for her to let me go. As we walk out of the cave entrance, she fills me in on her plan. And I have to smile. Sleeping in the Cornucopia and then running out and grabbing our packs before any of the others can do anything?

She really is a genius.

XXX

We approach the clearing stealthily, keeping our eyes out for Clove or Cato. If either of them come along we're screwed- but I doubt they will be. They'll be hunting the woods for firegirl and Peeper (his real name escapes my mind… Pita? Peeniss? Oh who knows, I don't care…)- we're not much of a threat. They know they can beat us, so why do they need to bother tracking us down properly? They can leave us till last… Unless we get them first. Or if somebody else does… Personally, I hope Thresh will get them. He'll crush their skulls easily… and then I can take him out with a knife to the back. Win-win.

Sneaking across the clearing, we run the last 100 metres to the Cornucopia, and duck inside it. Since it's a hot evening, the metal of the great golden horn is scorching to touch. As the space inside is very enclosed, we really have to squish up so not to touch the walls and burn ourselves. Eventually, she settles in my lap, and I wind my arms around her. I really don't know what I'd do if she died… thing is, if she died, I'd probably be dead too. Since we're generally together. Marissa empties her pack on the floor, and comes up with a handful of blackberries and half a litre of water. Not a great dinner… Although, if we get our pack in the feast tomorrow, we'll have plenty. She's emaciated- so thin that I can practically see her bones.

I'm probably better since I had a Careers diet before firegirl blew up our stash. But I doubt I'm much bigger.

We split the last of our supplies, and go to sleep that night with grumbling stomachs. Not a nice feeling, but we'll have food tomorrow. Or so I pray.

XXX

Marissa wakes me early the next morning. There are black circles around her eyes from lack of sleep, and she gives me a weak smile as she leans to kiss my nose lightly. I laugh hoarsely and sit up, rubbing sleep dust from my eyes.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty." she teases, and I smirk and lean to kiss her. For a few seconds our lips touch, before I pull away.

"Isn't that how you wake up a princess? Because seriously, I think you woke me up wrong."

Rolling her eyes, she silently points outside the mouth of the Cornucopia and I poke my head around. Slowly, a smile comes onto my face. Her plan worked: the table with the bags on it is already there. Two large black bags with 2 and 11 on them, two medium sized green ones with 4 and 5 on them (ours), and a tiny orange one with the number 12. It runs through my mind to steal someone's, but then it occurs to me that if I did, I'd be chased. And, looking at our other competitors, most likely killed.

I poise myself to run, and watch Marissa do the same beside me. My heart is racing- what a risky plan… What if it goes wrong? I'll have to trust her. She didn't fill me in on all the details, because it's her, but I'm going to have to have faith. As she whispers a countdown, so quietly I can barely hear it, I feel like I'm going back into the Games. Oh God…

And then, we're running. There is movement in the undergrowth around the clearing, and for a second my heart freezes as I stand still, hand hooked around the edge of a bag and one knife in hand… Staring around, terrified, I feel like time is stopping around me… An arrow is pointing at me from out of the bushes. Firegirl. My gaze locks with hers, and for a second I'm certain she's going to shoot… An arm grabs my arm and pulls me hard- turning, I see Marissa is staring at me with a look of horror on her face. She is shouting at me to run, her mouth is making the words but I can't hear her… Fear has taken over my whole body. An arrow aimed at my face… I run, and the arrow misses me by inches.

Sprinting as fast as I can after Marissa, I head for the woods. But I can't run fast enough, as another arrow pierces my arm and I fall with a yell to the floor. Staunching the flow of blood from the wound with one hand, I writhe in agony as I feel the head sinking in deeper… There are footsteps heading for me. I have to keep running! Getting up, holding the arrow in my shoulder and trying to numb the pain, with tears of fury in my face, I keep running. Marissa grabs me and pulls me into the safety of the woods where I fall to the ground immediately and sit on the floor, shaking- the pain in my arm is immense.

Stupid fucking firegirl!

Shivering, face drained of blood, I grab the arrow and slowly, agonisingly, pull it from my shoulder. With a moan of pain, I watch as the blood splurts from the wound down my arm. Throwing the arrow as far away from me as I can into the undergrowth, I hold the deep wound with one hand and grit my teeth. Marissa is holding it too, trying her best to staunch the bloodflow, but there's nothing she can do. I hear the sound of tearing and, looking up, watch as she tears a piece of canvas from the end of her trousers and wraps it around my arm. It's still bleeding, but that's the best she can do and, anyway, I want to watch the rest of the Feast. An arrow in the shoulder is nothing. There will be death.

Together, we crawl up to the edge and watch… Oh God. Clove is there. My heart skips a beat as I stare at her- she's straddling Katniss, with her knife at her throat and a look of sadistic glee on her face… Oh God she's mad. She's talking to Katniss, whispering to her, with her knife at her throat… Firegirl's struggling, and Clove's selecting a knife… This is going to be a torturous death. It's the same knife she was going to use on Rue, a curved, almost dainty little knife with a sharp blade. A beautiful thing… I wonder what she's going to do to firegirl? Honestly, after the arrow in the shoulder, I can't wait…

Marissa touches my arm. "Let's go, Lykos. Cato might be hunting."

For a few seconds I consider going with her… but I don't want to. My eyes are feasting on the sight in front of me- Clove is tracing her knife around firegirl's face. I want to see blood. I want to see firegirl's blood! All this time I wanted her dead- wanted to do it myself. At least it's Clove doing it. She'll do the job properly, not like bloody Cato… My eyes feast on the sight, and a small smile appears on my face. Hopefully it'll be long… I want to hear screams… Shaking my head, I try and get that thought out of my head. I'm not a killer, not like that… Or am I? All I want right now is to go and assist Clove in the torture… I can't. But there is a primal feeling of yearning to go and shred "Catnoose Evergreen" into a thousand pieces.

And anyway, if Clove is going to put on a show, shouldn't I watch? Be rude to walk away now.

"Lykos, once she's done torturing firegirl, she'll come after us. Come on- we've got food, and whatever else's in these bags. That's all we need. District 12 is as good as dead now. Come on."

"Let me watch." my voice is practically unrecognisable when I say that. I stare at her silently, with my eyes wide, and my heart beating fast. I need to watch this… there's something about me that's been missing the action, missing the killing. God, I've been trained all my life to kill. And I need to see this, simply to tell my grandchildren if I get out of here. The great day firegirl died, tortured slowly to death. I hope the Capitol doesn't censor the kill. That would just ruin it for everyone.

Turning my eyes back, I notice a shape in the distance, barrelling towards Clove and Katniss who are still locked on the ground… For a second I think it's Cato, from the large, bulky form and long strides, but then the figure's dark skin makes me realise something… It's Thresh. And he's running straight for the two duelling girls. Clove. My whole body tenses as I watch, wide-eyed. Marissa, beside me, is staring too- there is a look of half terror, half fascination on her face. I'm not fascinated. He's heading straight for Clove.

Thresh grabs her and pulls her off Katniss, right off her feet. I let out a sharp intake of breath and, standing up, move to grab another one of my knives. I've completely forgotten that Clove and I aren't allies anymore; all I can see is the look of fear on her face as the huge boy holds her in the air, screaming words I can't quite make out into her face. Then, he slams her to the ground with a resounding thunk, knocking all the wind out of her body. I let out a hiss, and I feel Marissa grab my hand hard, gripping it, silently willing me not to go. What's he doing?! Clove get up! God damn you, girl, get up! She's scrambling backwards on her hands and knees like a frantic insect- she's even dropped her bloody weapons! Get them! Get them!

I want to run out there and scream at her; what's she even doing?! DEFEND YOURSELF! PLEASE! Frantically, I make to run through the undergrowth and into the clearing and take Thresh on myself, but I cant- what would I do?! But I have to… I can't! COME ON, LYKOS!

Grabbing Marissa by the shoulders, I plant a passionate kiss on her lips. Then, eyes burning with fury, I sprint out of the bushes and hear her yelling behind me, trying to get me to stay back, to be safe. I scream at her to stay hidden, I scream at her to live and carry on even if I die… Pelting across the clearing towards Thresh, Clove and Katniss I bring my hand back to throw a knife; but I'm too far! Two hundred metres… Come on, it's only two hundred metres! I can do it!

Thresh is yelling at her again, a look of fury on his face and I can see the horror on Clove's face as she scrambles backwards, crying out back at him. He's advancing on her, holding a rock the size of a small loaf of bread in his hand. No!

"CLOVE!" I scream at the top of my lungs and she turns her head to look at me. Thresh looks at me too, and a dark look of hatred comes onto his features. Katniss stares at me too, and a look of anxiety comes onto her face. Fifty metres if that… Willing myself to run faster I watch as Thresh raises his arm high… And smashes the rock down on Clove's head. Things seem to go in slow motion.

She lets out a shriek of agony and falls backwards… as the boy from 11 raises his bloodstained rock away, I see the dent in her skull and I stop to a dead halt staring at her. I fall to my knees and just stare, in total shock, as she tries her hardest to breathe. Clove's dark eyes meet mine and I stare at her helplessly as, slowly, the life drains away from her. Katniss and Thresh are talking, now, he's threatening her… She gets up and runs and he doesn't follow. I can hear my heart beat in my ears… boom boom… boom boom…

The sound of a cannon?

No, it's not; Clove is still alive. Her eyes are still open, and I can see her chest rising and falling shallowly, trying to retain her life… A little blood dribbles out of the corner of her mouth. Thresh turns to me with malice in his eyes and lifts the rock again, ready to slam it down on my head… But fury fills me. How dare he?! How dare he let firegirl go?! With a roar of rage, I throw myself at the boy from 11 and we slam to the ground. Fury pulsing through my body, we struggle for a few seconds, like Katniss and Clove did, before he ends up on top. He smashes the rock towards my head and I duck away at the last minute- it crunches into the ground leaving a crater. Grass and mud fly everywhere, and I hiss in shock as he raises it again. Grabbing both of my knives, I stab them upwards into his stomach, using my own weight to push them further in, and he calls out in pain and flops on top of me.

His blood seeps through his shirt and onto me- I feel it staining my skin. He lies there on top of me, gasping. I flip him over, finally in control, and look down at him with crazed, sadistic eyes. A smile comes onto my face at the look of defeat in those dark eyes… But I feel a nagging feeling of doubt in me. Was he really beaten that easily? I'm just beginning to doubt it, when he throws himself at me, knocking me to the floor. A fist sinks itself into my face, and I feel a splurt of blood coming from my mouth. He begins to pummel me- sinking punch after punch into my face, neck and chest.

For a few moments I lie there, pain filling me and knowing I'm going to die… Then I remember the way he sank that stone into Clove's head and a new power fills me. Bringing my leg up, I knee him in the crotch and bring my leg up even further to kick him in the face.

"How does it feel, 11?!" I hiss, as a dribble of blood comes from his nose. Bringing a fist back to punch him again, I try and sink it into his face but he grabs my hand and stops me, pushing me backwards.

I skid across the floor, smashing into the Cornucopia and lie, dazed, against it for a second before springing to my feet. Out of my jacket I grab a small knife and ready myself… He's running towards me, arms outstretched, ready to smash my head into the side of the great golden horn and be done with it… At the last moment before he collides with me, I sidestep and he smashes headlong into the metal. Then, grabbing him in the small of the back, I sink the knife into his head and twist slowly…

Blood splatters out of the wound and he struggles, letting out great bellows of pain, but I don't care. Carving the skin away upwards with my knife, I watch as it flaps, disconnected from the skull, before stabbing again, harder. The sound of crunching hits my ears and I hit something soft… More blood comes out, coating my hands and forearms and he's screaming in agony now, but I don't care… Twisting the blade around mercilessly, I stab for one final time… He goes limp. Slowly, as I watch him fall, twitching to the ground and his cannon goes… An air of satisfaction fills me. I turn back to Clove who is lying, now, breathing shallowly. The look on her face is of purest pain. I stagger over to her side and fall to my knees, staring into her eyes. Several tears fall and splash onto the ground.

Clove. The girl who lay in my arms all those nights, the girl who kissed me, the kitten with sharp claws… She's being taken from me. Being taken from this world. Grabbing one of her limp hands, I hold it in both of mine and stare at her. It can't be happening! She's not… she's not dying. It's all a dream… Oh God. But I'm conflicted- is it better she dies now rather than me having to face off with her later? NO!

"Clove…" I whisper, and a tear dribbles down my cheek. "I'm sorry. So sorry. He's dead now. I killed him."

"I think I saw that… did you have to make that much mess?" she let's out a shaky laugh, and then bursts into a round of coughing. Eyes watering, she chokes, and sprays blood from her mouth all over her front. Moving behind her, I settle so her head is on my lap and stroke her hair, trying to help her get through death peacefully. Eventually, after she's stopped coughing, she looks up at me with pathetic eyes. She knows she can't win. She knows she's dead, now. "I just wanted things to be right… I wanted to go home… Is that so wrong?"

"No, Clove, it's not wrong… But you need to sleep now." my words are almost nonsensical, like I'm talking to a baby. Sweet nothings- what do I mean, she's going to sleep? She's going to die, damn it, and we both know that. She's not a child. She's 14 years old, and she's going to die. "It's alright, Clove. Nothing can hurt you now. Nothing can hurt you. I promise."

For a few moments, she is silent, staring deep into my eyes. She reaches up and kisses my lips- I do nothing to stop her. Although I know Marissa is watching, there's nothing I can do. I know her too well to think she'll be made jealous by this- this is a dying kiss. For a few seconds her lips remain on mine, and I feel the sweet savour of blood dribbling into my mouth. And then she breaks away, and pearly tears come out of her eyes.

"Please, if you see my family, tell them I tried? Tell them I tried to win but I couldn't… please tell them?"

I nod, not wanting to tell her I probably won't win. I'll try.

"Win. I'm so sorry… I was so upset and jealous… I'm so sorry… So sorry… so sorry…" her breathing is slowing, and her eyelids are drifting shut. Taking two fingers, I gently help them shut. She's still mumbling that she's sorry, over and over again, as if in sleep. I reach down, tears dripping down my cheeks fast now, and tell her that I know. I tell her that I forgive her. She lets out one last exhale, before lying still.

Clove's cannon booms.

**Please Review. For all you Lyove lovers, all is not lost... I have some news for you next chapter that might just cheer you up a little bit... Have to wait and see...**


	15. The Mockingjay Falls

Two days pass and little happens.

Marissa and I hide in a small den by the river, clinging onto each other tight. It's storming outside, and the rain is coming down so heavily that it breaks through the makeshift roof of our den and splatters us occasionally. Cato is searching for either us or Katniss and Peeta- we're the only tributes left now Thresh and Clove are dead. Clove.

Apparently, Marissa didn't see what happened between her and me. I told her of course, I'm not stupid enough to hide it (since all will be revealed if we win and watch the Games over…); she didn't't seem to mind that much. We talked about it for a while, and once I'd managed to convince her that she is my only- by literally going on my knees and convincing. She smiled, enjoying the grovelling, and I knew she'd forgiven me. But now, in the cold, dank silence of the den… we do not speak.

We've got food, our packs assure that. We've been having to ration it, though, since we weren't given very much. Two chicken drumsticks each, a small loaf of bread, and a handful of nuts and dried berries… Not a particularly substantial meal. But I doubt the Games will go on much longer, what with there only being five of us left. With a weak laugh, I turn to the red-haired girl beside me.

"D'you reckon, after all this, we'll die of pnumonia?"

She grins and shakes her head, before looking rather longingly out of the cave. She doesn't like being shut up in places, I know that: neither do I, but in this situation, I have a little more patience than her. I know she wants to get out there and explore… but she can't find. It's me who'll have to do the fighting if we bump into anyone. Cato's probably searching for us- either that, or he's searching for Katniss and Peeta. Thresh is dead- I took care of that myself. And… No, I'm not even going to think about Clove. I'll cry if I do, and I don't want to cry. My throat is dry from lack of water, and I grab the canteen out of her pack and take a trick drink. When I take it away, I see the slightly wistful look on her face and raise my eyebrows.

"What?" then a feeling of fear runs through me. Grabbing her hand, I squeeze it. "You haven't really got pnumonia have you?" I ask, staring at her. For a moment Marissa looks back at me, confused. Then, she bursts out laughing. I shush her, since she's not being exactly quiet, and she tries to stop herself, burying her head in her knees. When she eventually looks up, there are tears of laughter in her eyes.

"No!" the fox-faced girl replies firmly, and I frown.

"What's the matter then?" I ask, sliding an arm around her. She burrows into my side, and brings her head beneath my chin. For a moment we sit like that, when a thought occurs to me. My eyes open wide and I look down at her in shock. "You're not pregnant, are you?" I say, slightly alarmed. Marissa muffles another laugh, before bringing herself away to sit opposite me. We kneel close together, and there is a look of amusement in her amber eyes.

"No, Lykos, I'm not pregnant." she replies, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Having a pregnant woman to take care of in these Games wouldn't be fun… Wait a second. How could she be pregnant? We haven't even done… it… yet. I wonder if she's thought about that- I know I sure have. But maybe that's just me being a guy. Or just me, in particular, being startlingly perverted… No, let's get rid of that thought. Don't want to risk it coming out of my mouth. That would not be a good way to broach the subject. "We haven't ever had sex," Marissa continues. I almost wince at the word- back home, sexual intercourse was a taboo subject. Something you talked about (or did) under the covers at home with a torch.

I swallow, then say, with a slight tremble in my tone, "I know we haven't done… that… But you always have to worry about that sort of thing." I laugh nervously- and as quietly as I can- and feel my cheeks going red. Thanking God for the fact that the cave is dark and the rain and clouds outside have made it darker, I lean back, pressing my head further into the shadows. Marissa raises her eyebrows at me, and shrugs. There is a slightly sly look on her pale face as she stares at me, an almost hungry expression on her face. I can't help but gulp- I've seen that expression mirrored before on Clove's face. Honestly, it isn't all that nice to be looked at in that way, especially when there are several knifes within grabbing distance.

"Have you thought about doing it?" she says in a quiet voice, and I can't look at her. It's a little bit embarrassing, but at the same time extremely exciting. My heart is thudding hard against my chest, and I can see a look of fear on her own. I can't quite pick out her expression as she timidly brings up a hand to stroke my face. She's shivering a little bit as we stare at each other, wide eyed. This is… we've got close to it, before, but we've never gone this far. I love her, that I know, but… Here? Slowly, her hand entwines into mine and we look at our held hands. But are we ready? I doubt I am- I still refer to sex as "it" or "that". She's visibly terrified. And anyway, we're probably on live TV… No.

"Not until recently," I reply, but then shake my head, slowly. "But not here. Not now. I'm…" I gulp. Then, a weak laugh escapes my lips. "Here? Your own mother could be watching." And with that, we both start laughing. We have to try and be as quiet as possible, since Cato could be on the prowl, but it's a weird thought. Her parents could've been watching me kiss her! Oh God, that'll be awkward… But eventually, she nestles down next to me and we fall asleep in each other's arms. Cramped, young, and sweet.

XxXxX

The next morning, it has stopped raining. In fact it's bone dry- and hot, too. The river is significantly more shallow than before; when I crawl out and try and swim, my torso bumps into the riverbed. Eventually, after trying multiple times, I grab our canteen and fill it, purifying it with iodine. We wait for the iodine to take effect, then drink deeply, not knowing how much longer we'll have water, and finish the food we have. Then, we begin to walk upstream, in the river so to avoid making footprints.

I hold my knives in a defensive position, ready to fight at a moment's notice. Marissa walks ahead of me, keeping her eyes on the woods, and holding her knife loosely. I want to tell her to hold it properly, knowing that Cato could attack at any second, but refrain from doing so. She seems pretty sure of herself, and she's far too stubborn to let me take the lead. We walk for about half an hour, and I'm about to stop and tell her that we need to head back towards the other tributes, when she stops. I bang into her back and stumble backwards; the redhead grabs me by the hand and pulls me upright. Her ears are pricked up and her eyes are wide- there's a look of slight concern on her face. I freeze, not knowing what's happening.

For a few moments we just stay there, before she begins to wade to the bank, as silently as she can. I follow suit, trusting her, and tail her into the trees. Like a real fox she seems to be sniffing whoever it is out; she weaves through the trees listening hard, checks the ground for footprints, and occasionally finds a lead. After about a minute she pauses… and I begin to hear it too. The sound of footsteps- heavy footsteps. For a second my heart stops, thinking that it's Cato, then I realise who it might be. Ducking into a bush and pulling her with me, we watch the path ahead through some branches… and spot them.

Two pairs of legs walk mere inches away from where we are hiding- a girl and a boy. Firegirl and loverboy! I let out a sharp intake of breath then clap a hand over my own mouth. I think they might've heard us because we both stay completely still, staring at each other in horror… Then they continue walking. They sound like they're arguing, in hushed voices, so we can't make out words. But as Marissa gestures for me to follow, I make out words.

"…forget Cato, you're chasing off every rabbit in a half mile radius…"

So they're hunting? Sweet- they're hungry too, then. How adorable. I guess one of them can use a bow? I'd hazard a guess that it's firegirl- from the few days loverboy was part of the Career pack, he never showed any proficience with a bow. Then again, he could've been faking… But Katniss seems more like the hunter type. Peeta's a bit flabby, at least compared to some of us.

We follow them through the bushes, careful not to snap branches. Eventually, after more quiet arguing, they split up. We decide to follow Peeta- he'll be easier to kill. I have a knife in each hand… Ohh, I can't wait to spill his blood. He'll scream, I hope. After he betrayed the Careers like that, and let firegirl go, he deserves to die. And I can't wait to do it.

He walks for a few seconds, staying within range of firegirl, and begins picking berries and stuff. He's got some food- a large lump of cheese. I look at it hungrily, and wonder whether he'll notice if we run and steal it… No, no more stealing. I'll take it from his dead body. He's picking roots now, his back to us. I can't help but feel a little bad for him… In love with firegirl. Who would be that stupid? From what I've seen, she's treated him like total shit so far… I suppose she's pretending to love him (badly, might I add), and he really means it… Aww. How cute. Not.

Standing up silently, I choose which knife I will do it with. Eventually, I decide on the longer, sharper one- there's not time to torture him. I'll get him, then when firegirl comes running, I'll kill her too. I want to see her reaction first, though, see her conflicted little self trying to sort herself out. I bet you she wouldn't even care. Would she even cry? Who knows. Looking down at Marissa, I feel my heart pumping. If I get this right, and get both of them… It's us verses Cato. I have to get this right! Feeling the pressure mounting, I try and bring myself up to it. Watching the back of his head carefully, I grip the knife blades hard. This… this is strange. Never thought I'd be the one to kill Peeta. I always presumed it'd be Cato who did it.

But I guess it's my turn to be the murderer this time, isn't it?

Murderer.

I don't like that word.

Taking one knife in hand, I make to clear my throat… But then I realise I don't want him to face me. The word "murderer" has stirred something within me… What could it be? Remorse? No, that's idiotic. I don't care about all those people I killed, I helped kill… Shaking the thought out of my head, I look at him as he kneels and picks roots from the earth. He has no idea. Has no idea that he's about to die- what a fool. I aim the knife. It whooshes through the air at great speed and I hold my breath… It thunks, hard, into his neck.

The dreadful sound of a scream hits my ears, and I duck back into the bush and out of sight. Marissa has gone, I realise, and I look around wildly for a second… then I see her in the undergrowth a few metres away, frantically gesturing for me to follow her. I do so, trying to make as little noise as possible, and we hide in the bushes a little further down. If Katniss really is as good with her bow and arrows as all that, then she might be able to get me before I can even do anything.

A cannon booms, loudly, and I hear her shouting his name. "Peeta! Peeta! Peeta!" God, she's got a shrill voice. Perhaps I was wrong, and she really does care about him? I hear the sound of running feet, and then a long, drawn out scream as she finds him. Slowly, a smirk comes onto my face. What was I talking about- remorse? I'm too dead to ever feel remorse. I hear the sound of her falling to her knees and then a wail. Poking my head out of the bush, I see her kneeling by his corpse, head in her hands. Her bow lies abandoned several feet away.

Blood is pouring out of the wound I made in the back of his neck, and my knife is still there. It actually managed to pierce the whole way through his throat- pretty impressive, I have to say. The point sticks out the other side, glistening with his blood. Katniss has her head on his back and is crying loud enough to wake the dead- will she shut up? If Cato comes along, now, we're all dead. Realising that if I don't want Cato to come along I'd best get the stupid bitch out of the way, and quickly. But I can't resist playing with her a little bit.

"Oh firegirl," I simper, and she whips around immediately. Her face is… mad. Tears streak down from her eyes, and they're red and swollen. She gasps at the sight of me, and then hisses, shielding Peeta's body with her own. I laugh sarcastically. "Why not use his body as a shield for yourself? Loverboy's dead. I killed him myself." seeing the look of fury in her grey eyes, I grin. "Aww, I'm sorry firegirl. Only two people can go home, you know. You picked the wrong tribute to go with. Maybe you should've gone with Cato."

"Maybe YOU should've gone with Cato," she spits in retaliation. "You look enough like a girl."

Yeah, wise move, firegirl. You're at my mercy, and you're insulting me? Because that's really going to make me kill you quickly and painlessly. Stupid bitch.

Stepping over the bush, I walk towards her slowly. She dives for her bow, but I kick it away as hard as I can, into the bushes. She growls at me and for a second we just glare at each other. Then, tears come streaming out of her eyes and she looks back at her district partner's body. I keep my eyes firmly on Katniss, not trusting her not to try and distract me. But she doesn't seem to want to. For a few moments she just clings onto Peeta's body. Then, slowly, she looks back at me and closes her eyes.

"Do it fast, okay, Lykos?"

I grip the knives. Her usage of her name has swayed me… I never presumed that the other tributes knew my name. I wonder if any of them talked about me? I guess Peeta and Katniss must've discussed the Careers and I would be lumped with them. But personally, I wonder what- no, I can't think about that. To kill someone, you have to pretend that they are inanimate objects with no thoughts or feelings. It makes it a lot easier, and makes you feel less guilty afterwards. She is an object, Lykos, she is an object.

Slowly, I walk towards her. Bringing a knife to her neck, I hold my position for a few moments. She's shaking, and I can hear her whispering names under her breath. I let her finish before, as quickly as I can, I draw the knife across her throat. The cannon goes almost instantly, and with a gurgle, she falls backwards next to Peeta. Even in death they are together, propped up against the tree. I had sworn to torture Katniss to death once… That time seems like years ago. When Clove was still alive. When Winnow was still alive. When Marvel and Glimmer were still alive.

The full momentum of everything hits me.

Not everyone dead here would've been a heartless psychopath like Cato. People had families, friends, lovers who must be baying for my blood. With feelings, thoughts, the ability to feel pain… My own sister, who treated me like a dog… But who cares about any of that now? She's dead, damn it, dead! Winnow is dead and she's never coming back! All the tributes I've killed flash through my mind and, with a cry, I scrunch myself into a ball and rock back and forth… Marissa's arms stroke my shoulders she's asking me what's wrong, why I'm crying, what's happening… But I can't answer her. The Capitol would not take kindly to my thoughts.

Winnow, my older sister. You treated me like I was shit, unwanted shit, but… you were all I had for so long. I never liked you, I hated you, even. But you can hate someone and still love them deep inside.

Glimmer, my old love interest. Although I never loved you like I did Marissa or… or Clove, I liked you a little bit. It was nice to get attention for once from a girl. You didn't deserve the death you got.

Marvel, my old friend. I thought you were irritating, originally, but you grew on me. Your sense of humour, your humanity, the way you could bring us all out of a rage with a well-placed word…

Clove. My dear, poor, crazy Clove. I avenged you, I stayed with you till you died. Maybe, in another world somewhere, we would be together right now, and it would've been Marissa who died… I don't want that. But I miss you. Inside, I still love you… but as a friend, as the sister I wanted. Rest in Peace.

Taking Marissa's hand, I follow her back down the riverbed and towards our den. It's only so long till Cato finds us, or we him… Or maybe we'll be driven together.

**We can only wait… and dread.**


	16. Victors

**Just to let you all know, Lykos is actually L from Death Note. Just realised how similar they are- t'was an accident. Honest. **

Marissa prods me awake the next morning. I open my eyes quickly, ready for any danger, and find myself relaxing as she smiles at me. It's boiling hot here in our den, and it's supposed to be reasonably sheltered… It will be absolutely sweltering outside, I'm sure. With a yawn, I lean up to kiss her quickly, before propping myself up on the cave wall. I'm actually quite surprised Cato hasn't come to find us yet, since we're the only ones left in the arena… I suppose he's biding his time and licking his wounds. He'll come soon, that I'm absolutely sure of. After a few moments of relaxed bliss, I crawl out of the small cave and check out what's going on outside. I mutter a swear word under my breath.

The river outside our den, once filled with cool, clear water… is now bone dry. Since we've got no water left, that means that we have no means of getting it… apart from going to the lake. So Cato is looking for us, is he, and just can't find us? They want us to go to the lake, so he can find us and we can have a showdown to end these Games. The final showdown. Even if I can't survive, maybe I can get Cato and Marissa to win this thing together? The rule change didn't specify that it had to be me and Marissa who win… But I don't want to lose. There is a Careers blood in me still, and I am thirsty to win.

"Imagine being a Victor," I say dreamily to the red haired girl, who has crawled out to join me. The two of us stare at the skies, still pink in the early morning, and her hand finds it's way to mine. I suppose she has figured out what the dry river means too, because right now, everything feels like there is an air of finality to it. Like we'll never be able to sit here again and stare at the skies, and just be at peace. "All the stuff we'll have. Money… fame… all the sugar and cake I could possibly want…" then I smile as I remember something else, and raise her hand to my lips. "And you."

She smirks, and winks a little wolfishly at me. "I'm going to have to get used to coming behind cake."

I laugh and we get to our feet, and grab her pack. Splitting our remaining food, we have a silent breakfast, before I take a knife in each hand and give her one, before we walk in the vague direction of the lake. It'll take us all day to get there, but a fight at night will probably be more popular with the Capitol crowd. I grip my knives in my hands instinctively and keep up my defence, in the fear that Cato might come for us. I'd actually rather fight him in the woods since Marissa and I are both smaller and nimbler than him. Out on the plain where there is nowhere to hide, he'll have an advantage. But if the Capitol wants us to go to the lake, then to the lake we shall go.

We walk for the whole day until it gets dark. From there we basically stumble about in the trees, dreading Cato. He has night vision goggles and we are basically blind- if he comes along now, we're dead. And all of this will have been for nothing.

It's only then we hear the barking.

For a few seconds we stand stock still, before somebody bursts into the clearing where we currently are, sprinting as fast as he can straight at us… I throw a knife straight at him, as quickly as I can, but it bounces straight off him. He's got some sort of body armour!

"For fuck's sake, he's got body armour!" I scream, before I realise that the barking couldn't possibly be coming from Cato.

He smashes straight past us, barrelling towards the lake. Something is chasing him- I can hear a creautre… or CREATURES, cutting through the undergrowth. For a second I stay still, terrified, before Marissa grabs my shoulder with a shriek and we start running. Mutts, wolf mutts- about twenty of them! With a scream, I follow Marissa and Cato towards the lake, running as fast as I possibly can. Fear runs through me as I feel sweat dripping down my forehead, as the sound of the beasts getting closer and closer comes…

One foot in front of the other! Keep running! Come on, Lykos, keep running!

I'm starting to run out of breath and I feel myself stopping, but I can't. I can't! The mutts will rip me to shreds if I stop! Come on, Lykos, keep running! Keep running! Keep running, damn you, keep running!

"Lykos!"

I hear a shriek and watch as Marissa falls to the ground in front of me… She's fallen! My heart thuds as I realise something. In order to save her, the girl I love, I must stop… For a second I want to keep running, to sacrifice her… But I have to stop. I have to save her. I love her.

I love her.

Reaching to the ground, I grab her hand and pull her up. Keeping hold of her hand I keep running, dragging her with me- she's limping now. She must have twisted her ankle or something when she fell… Oh God. Cato is already out of sight into the clearing by the lake and we're going to die… But then we break through the woods and sprint onto the plain, the mutts hot on our heels. Cato is near the Cornucopia and is scrambling towards it, breathing hard and trying to get on top… Thanking him internally for giving us a hint of what to do, if not on purpose, I drag Marissa over towards the Cornucopia and shove her up it, desperately shoving her onto the top.

"Come on!" I yell, as she hoists herself up and I try and get up behind her… The mutts are snapping at my heels! Then, I feel sharp teeth sinking into my calf and scream out in agony as blood begins to splurt down my leg from the deep wound… Dragging myself up onto the Cornucopia I curl up into a little ball, nursing the blood that is now rolling down my leg from the deep wound… But I have to time to waste because the second I get up there, Cato launches himself at me. I roll to the side as Marissa screams out a warning, before Cato turns around and runs at her instead. She moves aside just a moment too late and fist catches her in the face- I howl out in fury and grab him, flipping him onto the Cornucopia.

Then, I hear a shout and look up from my punching of him to see that Marissa is being dragged off the Cornucopia by one of the mutts… Launching myself forward I catch her hand to pull her up, not worrying about Cato. Then, I hear him lumbering towards me and close my eyes, bracing myself for a sword in my throat, but hear an oof of pain. Turning my head I see him standing there, a knife protruding from his shoulder. Marissa's knife. She is breathing hard, a look of pride on her face- she threw a knife. Perhaps she wasn't too good, but she stopped him from killing me!

Grinning madly at her, I turn to watch as Cato pulls the knife from his shoulder and launches himself at her with a crazed battle cry. I bring a knife to slash him across the throat, but find myself being stopped as a claw slashes it's way across my wrist. Howling in pain I launch away to see one of the mutts is hanging off the side of the Cornucopia. I stare at it in terror, before grabbing a knife to stab it, when… When I notice it's eyes.

Mahogany brown. Mad. Gentle. Beautiful. Crazy. Evil.

Clove.

With a shout of shock I fall backwards, and the mutt-Clove claws it's way up onto the top of the Cornucopia and advances on me, it's teeth and claws awash with my blood… I scramble backwards, terrified, as Cato and Marissa both make sounds of alarm from their side. Glancing over to them I see them frozen; Cato has her by the throat with his sword at her neck, and she has the knife I gave her yesterday pressed to his heart, her hands throttling him. Then, I feel paws on my stomach as I am thrown backwards and stare in horror at the creature on top of me.

Bringing a knife up, I stab it in the face and it rears backwards with a howl… that sounds so, so much like Clove's own voice. What have they done to her?! Feeling tears mixing with the blood dripping down her face, I realise this is what the Capitol wants- for me to fight the girl I once thought I loved. I do love her still, but only as a friend… What have they done to her?! My God, her eyes! Did they pluck them from her skull? WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO HER?!

"Clove!" I scream at her, trying to reawaken anything in her that might recognise me, still have human feelings left… But with a snarl, she claws at my face again and I make a swipe with the knife at her muzzle. But it was aimed to miss. So this is what they want, is it? They want me to kill her?

For a few seconds I am still, but it's then I register the sounds of Cato and Marissa fighting. She's losing by the sound of it. I can't waste any more time. Clove… this Clove… I must kill her.

"Clove… I'm so sorry. So sorry. If you're in there, if this is really you… I'm sorry."

And then, I stab my knife into her heart. She lets out one last howl of pain before flopping, dead, beside me. For a second I stare at her and consider what could've been, before turning my attention to Cato and Marissa. He has her by the throat and is banging her head against the metal of the Cornucopia and there is blood running down his face, with stab marks all over him. Launching myself over there, I yank him off her- he punches me hard in the face and sends me sprawling backwards. My leg and wrist are dribbling blood everywhere, and I find myself slipping over in it. Is it mine, I wonder, or is it Cato or Marissa's?

Then, a sword stabs into the metal inches away from my head, and I duck to the side as Cato leans his full weight on the sword that should've been in my skull. I watch in horror as it sinks into the metal; that would have pierced straight through my brain and probably pinned me to the great golden horn to boot. My God.

Rolling to my feet, I notice Marissa is lying still. She's not dead, I can see the rise and fall of her chest, but there are purple bruises covering her forehead. Cato has knocked her out. Sprinting over to her I shake her, but she cannot be woken- he's hurt her. He's really hurt her.

Then, I feel a hand on my neck and I'm turned around to see Cato's maddened eyes. I try and punch him, but he yanks me full off my feet and throws me to the ground, hard. Kneeling by my side, he grabs my head and puts it over the side of the Cornucopia, towards the mutts. There is a sick, crazed look on his face as he dangles me for the mutts to tear to pieces.

"NO!" I struggle, but he's far too strong for me. He's smashing the back of my head into the Cornucopia as hard as he can, and I can hear the mutts claws inches away from my head. They are scratching at the metal, and soon their claws will be in my face, tearing… ripping… I won't even be recognisable by the time they're done. Just a piece of dead meat.

Then, he slumps. There is the sound of a cannon, and I feel blood running down onto me… Looking up, I stare in shock as Marissa leans on him, her head visibly spinning, shaking… as she sinks the knife ever further into his back. She stabs him again and again and she's shivering and crying, and there is a look of horror in her face… She's killed someone. This is the first time she's killed someone. All of a sudden, I hear the mutts stop. The sound of their clawing stops, and they quieten. Then, turning over, I watch as a hole in the grass appears and they disappear down into it. Gone.

Cato is dead. The mutts are gone. It's just me and Marissa now.

We've… we've won.

A small smile comes onto my face and I lean back as I hear the sound of the trumpets blaring loudly. The voice of Claudius Templesmith comes onto the announcer as he shouts, loud enough to deafen, as a hovercraft appears above us, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the winners of the 74th Annual Hunger Games- Marissa Finch and Lykos Danio!"

And then a ladder comes down from the hovercraft.

Pushing Cato's dead body off me, I grab her hand and stare deep into her eyes. Tears are dripping from them, and she's covered in her own blood. She grips my hand heard, and looks deep into my eyes. The Fox and the Pussycat. She's… she's mine. She's so beautiful. I can just look into her eyes, and this all disappears. I don't worry about anything anymore. Cato is dead. All these people, these children, are dead because of us… For us to live, they had to die. As we stare at each other, we realise that this adventure, our lives, is far from over.

Pulling her in, we hold each other tightly over the boy from 2's corpse. She begins sobbing into my shoulder and I bring her slightly away to kiss her forehead, staring deeply at her. She's covered in bruises from where Cato smashed her head into the Cornucopia, and she looks a little dizzy.

"I love you Lykos." she whispers, before, at the same time, we grab hold of the ladder. We are sealed into place immediately by an invisible current, and feel ourselves being pulled up into the hovercraft. The second we get up there the doors are shut after us, and we cling together. A Capitol official gives us a glass of orange juice each and we just stare at it.

It looks wrong in our bloody, dirty hands.

Dirty with the blood of other children.

**There will be one more chapter after this, talking about Lykos and Marissa going to the Capitol and recieving their winnings, etcetera. Since I'm not doing a rebellion in this, as Katniss died, these two have not caused any trouble. An epilogue about their later lives will be in that chapter too… Tearing up a little bit. Thank you so much for reading, and the next chapter + epilogue will hopefully be up tomorrow, if not the day after. **


End file.
